Every time the bike and I climb up the steep Third Avenue Bridge from Bryant Way, I look off to my right to see if the Albany hydropower generator is turning. Lately it has been still, not moving at all.
Sunday afternoon found the bike and me once again at the gates of Albany’s historic Vine Street water treatment plant and hydropower generating station.
Albany Hydro, the 500-kw generator powered by water from the Santiam Canal, is back in business. It started up Friday when the flow in the canal was sufficient once again.
The generator in Albany’s Vine Street powerhouse has been quiet this fall, a period when normally it would have been running. But it may start up again in a matter of days and once again earning money from electricity sales.
Albany officials think there’s a way to keep operating the city’s electric generator while cutting back on regulatory expenses. Let’s hope they are right and Albany’s historic role in hydropower production can be continued and preserved.
The water you see rushing down the end of the Albany Santiam Canal on Friday is not, obviously, going through the turbine of Albany Hydro. The hydropower generator has been shut down since June, which is normal, but its restart this fall has been delayed.
Water plan: Study replacing Vine Street plant
Readers of Albany’s proposed water master plan may get the feeling that the city’s historic water and electric plant on Vine Street is not long for this world.
Tags: Albany hydro, Albany water, Santiam Canal, Vine Street treatment plant