Your PUD PUD News Line
11/17/2009
Tonight's "Dirty Jobs" to feature Rocky Reach Dam
Everybody’s favorite working guy Mike Rowe finds out what it takes to make clean hydropower and keep fish safe at Rocky Reach Dam in the Nov. 17 episode of the Discovery Channel's Emmy-nominated show "Dirty Jobs."
The one-hour episode at 9 p.m. ET/PT shows Rowe struggling to help PUD crews maintain one of the dam’s big generating units. Viewers will see him join PUD crew members as they squeeze into a cramped, cold and wet space to remove insulation from part of the generator. Rowe also tries his hand at changing the oil in the 1.2-million-pound generator.
View video clips from the upcoming episode.
Chelan PUD will offer conservation incentives
The PUD will offer customers new incentives to save energy in 2010 as part of efforts to meet energy conservation targets mandated by the state Energy Independence Act (I-937). The targets were approved by commissioners on Monday.
Starting Jan. 1, new programs will include financial incentives for residential customers to install energy-saving glass doors, windows and other measures.
Moving forward on water storage analysis
PUD commissioners have authorized General Manager Rich Riazzi to sign an agreement in principle with the Washington State Department of Ecology that will clarify how feasibility studies for potential water storage opportunities would be paid for and how projects will be studied.
Ideas include looking at pumped-storage projects and at the possibility of raising the water level behind Rocky Reach Dam as much as three feet. Any proposed pool raise or water-storage project would go through five to 10 years of study and public discussion and would need approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Additional information is available on the PUD Web site, www.chelanpud.org, under “water storage studies.”
Flying south for the winter?
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