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United States. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Eugene Water & Electric Board Submits Annual Meeting and Discussion Minutes with U.S. Forest Service on Stone Creek Hydroelectric Project

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) has submitted the minutes and agenda from their annual meeting with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) regarding the Stone Creek Hydroelectric Project. The meeting, held on May 12, 2025, discussed various topics related to the project, including dam safety, operations, and future activities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The meeting was held via Teams and in-person at the Mt. Hood National Forest office in Sandy, Oregon.
  • EWEB reported on various activities and events in 2024, including a dam safety issue and a ramping rate exceedance.
  • The exceedance occurred due to an unexpected opening of the needle valves during the startup procedure following a power outage.
  • EWEB will conduct an internal inspection of the penstock in August 2025 and will make any necessary repairs in 2026.
  • The USFS will need to coordinate special uses for the IDT for the penstock repair.
  • The 2025 annual outage has been moved up due to a PGE outage and will be scheduled earlier.
  • No pesticide or herbicide use was reported in 2024.
  • Timber clearing work will occur inside the FERC Project Boundary, and EWEB will provide information on all ground disturbing activities to the FERC Division of Dam Safety and Inspections for review and approval.
  • No funds were used for fish and wildlife habitat mitigation in 2024, but the USFS is looking to use some of the funds in conjunction with a PGE project.
  • The Operation and Maintenance Plan for Transmission Lines is not yet completed due to limited staff resources.

Statistics:

  • The meeting was held on May 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
  • EWEB conducted 2 repair plans for weeping on the diversion weir in 2024, requiring FERC approval.
  • The calculated ramping rates exceeded the +/- 0.2-foot-per hour ramping rate limit on January 31, 2024.
  • The penstock inspection and repair will take place in August 2025 and 2026.
  • The 2025 annual outage will be scheduled earlier due to a PGE outage.
  • No pesticide or herbicide use was reported in 2024.
  • No funds were used for fish and wildlife habitat mitigation in 2024, but the USFS is looking to use some of the funds in conjunction with a PGE project.

Sources:

  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) License P-5264
  • Article 102 of FERC License P-5264
  • U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
  • Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB)
  • Energy Northwest
  • Operation and Maintenance Plan IV.C-Meeting Regarding Activities and Projects (and Special Use Permit EST435801)

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