August 31, 2013

Video: Ernie’s Gorge Hydropower Proposal

0  comments

Update November 2016: Happy to say that this plan has been withdrawn, for now at least.

Dan Patrinellis put together a really nice video of himself and the usual suspects paddling on Ernie's Canyon on the North Fork of the Snoqualmie.

There's also some information on the dam currently being proposed by Chris Spens for this Class V stretch of river (the Black Canyon Hydroelectric Project).  You can read about Ernie's and the dam proposal on the American Whitewater website, and here's the video, which as usual when it comes to Dan's stuff, is really nicely done.

I think Brian Fletcher had a great comment on the AW page:

"From the minute a kayaker puts his boat in the river on Ernie's Canyon until the last hundred yards where the canyon opens back up again, the North Fork of the Snoqualmie provides one the feeling of being in a completely isolated, wild, and free flowing river; something that kayakers around the world will spend their entire lives looking to experience."

All I can say is, please join American Whitewater if you're not already a member, they work throughout the U.S. to encourage responsible stewardship of rivers.

Also, comments to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council are due Sept. 17, 2013 for two major proposed local hydropower projects: Ernie's Canyon, and Sunset Falls on the South Fork of the Skykomish River.  Please check out that AW page here.   They point out:

"Northwest hydropower developers and utilities currently have more than a dozen projects where they are seeking to build new dams on rivers and streams. Compare this to the rest of the country where there are 0 new dams on the drawing board.  At least three, the Sunset Falls and Black Canyon projects in Washington, and the Bear River Narrows project in Idaho would be located on rivers designated within the Protected Areas Program. Dam builders are actively involved in the amendment process and are seeking exemptions for these projects."

Here's the link to the American Whitewater proposed dam info page, with suggested comments to send to the NWPCC.


Tags

Brad X., Brian F., Dan P., Ernie's Canyon, hydropower, Joe H., Mike N., Rob M., Shane R.


You may also like

Boofing Waves and Holes Video

Boofing Waves and Holes Video
{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
>