Oak Grove Hydroelectric Project

The Oak Grove Hydroelectric Project is a 44 megawatt hydroelectric plant operated by Portland General Electric (PGE) on the Oak Grove Fork Clackamas River. Water for this project is held by three lakes, built between 1923 and 1956.[1] The dam creates the impoundment Lake Harriet.

History

In 1907, the Southern Pacific Company began to acquire water rights for the Oak Grove fork.[2] These rights were transferred in 1911 to the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company,[2] which later became PGE.

In 1923, the concrete diversion dam at Lake Harriet was completed.[2] This lake holds 300 acre-feet (370,000 m3)[3] with a surface area of 150 acres (0.61 km2).[4] A 9-foot (2.7 m) pipeline goes downstream from Lake Harriet to the powerhouse.[3] Power generation from the Oak Grove fork began in August 1924.[5]

In 1953, Frog Lake was completed, adding 430 acre-feet (530,000 m3) of storage with 13 acres (53,000 m2) of surface, which was later reduced to 266 acre-feet (328,000 m3) on 6 acres (24,000 m2) in 1997.[2][3] Finally, in 1956,[2] the compacted-earth dam for Timothy Lake was completed, creating the largest lake in the system at 1,430 acres (5.8 km2) and 69,000 acre-feet (85,000,000 m3).[3] The Oak Grove Powerhouse contains two Francis turbines.[3]

References

  1. ^ PGE power plant capacity
  2. ^ a b c d e FWS: Eagle Creek: Appendix B: history
  3. ^ a b c d e FERC EIS P-2195
  4. ^ Photo tour: Harriet Dam
  5. ^ Electrifying Eden: Craig Wollner, p 111

External links

  • flagOregon portal
  • iconWater portal
  • iconRenewable energy portal
  • USGS flow data at Oak Grove powerplant intake
  • DEQ survey
  • PGE: parks on the Clackamas River
  • BPA: Oak Grove Habitat Improvement Project, 1988

45°07′21″N 122°04′12″W / 45.1226°N 122.0699°W / 45.1226; -122.0699