From EWEB – Eugene Water and Electric Board
Help inform EWEB Commissioners on the social impacts of the future alternatives of the Leaburg Project.
Provide your public comments here: EWEB.org/LeaburgPublicComment
Also, please drop by Lloyd Knox Park on Saturday June 25, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to learn more about the preliminary Net Present Value figures presented at the Thursday, June 16 work session and provide your feedback to EWEB staff.
If you cannot make it this weekend, we will be available the following dates as well: 7/12, 7/30, & 8/9. You can also email Adam.Spencer@eweb.org.
BACKGROUND: In October 2018, EWEB ceased power generation at the Leaburg Hydroelectric Project due to the discovery of excessive seepage along portions of the Leaburg Canal. Upon further analysis, EWEB found that the portions of the canal with excessive seepage also contained low-strength soils that would be vulnerable during earthquakes. EWEB completed partial fixes and has kept the canal drawn down to reduce the risks of these structural concerns.
EWEB does not believe there is an imminent danger of a canal breach.
Meanwhile, EWEB is investigating the best future alternative for the Leaburg Project. Working with a team of specialists, EWEB has identified the following 4 alternatives for the Leaburg Project:
Alternative 1: Full decommission of the Leaburg Project: Removing all traces of the dam, the canal, and all facilities. Leaburg Lake would return to original river conditions as best as practical. This alternative would attempt to make the landscape return to “as if the Leaburg Project were never built.”
Alternative 2: Full return-to-service: Fixing all problems and getting back to normal power generation. This alternative would invest in power generation for the future.
Alternative 3: New Powerhouse at Luffman Spillway: Building a new powerhouse closer to the dam that would generate less power but also reduce construction costs. EWEB would modify the canal downstream of the new powerhouse so that it would only carry stormwater from tributary creeks.
Alternative 4: Stormwater Conveyance: Decommissioning of the Leaburg Project by modifying the entire canal for stormwater conveyance only, essentially converting the canal into a tributary of the McKenzie River. The Project would no longer generate power. The Leaburg Dam would be removed.
To learn more about the decision, please go to EWEB.org/LeaburgCanal
Adam Spencer
EWEB Communication Specialist
541-685-7539
Obviously, EWEB must consider cost and benefit and what is feasible for your company. It is self-evident that those of us who live in the Leaburg/Vida communities, love the beauty of the lake and the river and have generally assumed that they were permanent features in this environment.
Central West and North West Oregon will no doubt be experiencing an influx of immigrants from states that are suffering from water insecurity. Climate change has brought severe drought to large areas of the West. The areas of Oregon that have
escaped the worst consequences of global warming, so far, will be under pressure to provide homes and services for the people who choose to re-locate here.
Changes to the dam and canal should be done with the “long view” in mind, leaving open the option of investing in future regeneration of electricity should population demographics demonstrate the need for more electrical power.
Option Two and Option Three appear to include flexibility for future changes. I hope that EWEB will find that one of these options is not only desirable to residents of this area, but also feasible for your company.