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.
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.
Albany hydro: No power since April 2024
Albany’s small hydropower plant has been shut down for more than a year, which I didn’t discover until I asked about it this week. And I doubt it will ever operate again.
Tags: Albany hydro, Calapooia River, Santiam Canal, Third Avenue Bridge, Vine Street plant, water treatment plant