Why is Sunset Falls an unsuitable site for a dam?Consider these criteria for building a dam applied to Sunset Falls:Will it provide adequate power generation vs. the initial construction costs?No. Although the nameplate capacity for the Sunset Falls Dam is 30 MW, the actual generation will be seasonal and limited by minimum stream flows about half the year. So the actual output will be effectively about 13.7 MW. Actual construction costs could be higher than estimated due to unknowns associated with many months of blasting Index granite and the risks and challenges of constructing one side of the dam into sediment.Would construction and operation have low impacts to the local environment? No. All phases of construction and operation of this dam would cause serious detrimental impacts on the local environment. Sunset Falls is an integral part of one of the last free-flowing rivers in the Pacific Northwest and flows through the Wild Sky Wilderness just miles away. Thirty months of dynamiting and hauling out rock to construct this dam will create noise and debris pollution for years. How will U.S. 2 hold up under tens of thousands of repeated loads from heavy trucks? Operating this dam would require de-watering over a mile of the river upstream of Sunset Falls -- a devastating impact.Would it receive steady flow with minimal sediment and debris load?No. The Skykomish is a glacially fed, seasonal river with minimal output from late summer to early winter. The South Fork is loaded with sediment and at times even whole trees.Will this dam have low operation and maintenance costs? No. Any dam built at this location will undergo extensive abuse from high sediment loads and debris. Conditions such as these will create extensive wear and tear on mechanical components of the dam (turbines and hydraulic components).
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 01:58:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015