Canal refill postponed

WALTERVILLE: The Eugene Water & Electric Board plans to start generating electricity from the Walterville Hydro plant as soon as possible, “but we need to ensure it is done safely and by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC’s) dam safety requirements.,” according to utility communications specialist Adam Spencer.

EWEB dewatered the Walterville Canal in February after receiving an automated alert from a water seepage monitor.

The detector, near the Walterville Powerhouse, monitors seepage through the 110-year-old canal’s earthen embankment. When the device detected an unexpected increase in seepage flow, it triggered a dam safety process that required dewatering of the canal for close-up inspections.

EWEB was unable to get repair plans approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this summer which will cause delays until after the end of the winter/spring rainy season. There are no public safety risks while the canal is in its current dewatered condition, officials say.

A couple of options are currently being explored from “a budgetary, regulatory, constructability and operational standpoint,” Spencer said. “The solutions we’ve identified involve lining the portion of the canal that is experiencing seepage, but there is additional analysis in progress because we have to ensure that additional mitigation is not needed to address potential structural issues beyond installing a liner to address the seepage.”

Until EWEB receives FERC approval the utility is continuing to coordinate with the agency. Installing a liner in the canal will require a dry work area, “when we can manage the storm and creek flows the canal intercepts more easily,” Spencer says.

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