A few days ago residents along Albany’s Eighth Street Canal were wondering why the decorative waterway was nearly dry. By Friday the usual water flow, scant as it is, appeared to be back to normal.
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.
On a random bike ride in the industrial section of central Albany a month ago, I found myself on the 25th Avenue bridge across the Santiam Canal. And because of what I saw there, the subject of nutria came up.
Once again this fall, we’re seeing one result of the deep drawdown of Green Peter Reservoir: Very turbid water in the Albany Santiam Canal.
Last month I wrote something about the barbed wire fence along the Albany Santiam Canal north of Queen Avenue. The bike took me by there again last week for another look.
A line of new fence posts drew my attention this week along a section of the Albany-Santiam Canal. It brought to mind the stories I did six years ago about this very spot.
100 years of Albany hydro: Is this the end?
Albany’s small hydropower generator in the Vine Street water plant has never been a big factor in the energy picture, but lately it has played no role at all.
Tags: 500 KW generator, Albany hydro, Santiam Canal, Vine Street plant