Before drinking water arrives in Hood River homes and businesses, it now performs a valuable, new service: Generating clean, renewable power that’s reducing costs for the city.
On Aug. 27, Hood River City Council President Gladys Rivera, Hood River City Council members Grant Polson and Anna Cavaleri, Hood River County Commission Chair Jennifer Euwer and other civic and project leaders gathered at the Dee Bridge pump station for a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating a new 115 kilowatt in-conduit hydropower generation project that was installed in the water system.
“This is a smart investment in city infrastructure that supports our growing Hood River community. We’re generating our own renewable power and will save on costs for years to come,” said Abigail Elder, Hood River city manager.
This project replaces a conventional pressure-reducing valve at the pump station with a hydroelectric turbine that captures energy from water flowing down from springs on the flanks of Mt. Hood. Energy that was previously wasted is now converted into renewable power.
The water moving through the system will generate an estimated 630 megawatts of clean electricity annually, which will be sold to Pacific Power through a power purchase agreement, helping offset the city’s energy bills.
In addition to cost savings, the project supports Hood River County Energy Plan goals of investing in local projects to boost renewable power and improve energy independence.
As a Pacific Power customer, the City of Hood River qualified for Energy Trust of Oregon support, which helped move the multiyear project from early planning in 2018 through completion with technical expertise and cash incentives for project development assistance and installation
“This turbine and the system attached to it represent an innovative approach to uncovering clean energy opportunities while managing essential water resources,” said Dave Moldal, senior program manager, Energy Trust. “It’s a practical example of how community leaders can make critical infrastructure work harder, delivering greater value, resilience and long-term benefits to the people they serve.”
Stacked funding covered a substantial portion of the $1.85 million project. In addition to $525,105 in Energy Trust cash incentives (with another $100,000 incentive payment forecast for 2027), the city also received a $500,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Energy Community Renewable Energy Program and is actively applying for an estimated $545,000 in Federal Direct Pay Investment Tax Credits.
That funding stack reduces the project payback period to 10 years. But in-conduit hydro is a smart, long-term investment because, with regular maintenance, the new system can be expected to continue generate renewable power—and financial savings—for 50 to 100 years.
Discover how Energy Trust can help your municipality, water district, farm or ranch with expert advice and incentives for hydropower projects. The best time to start planning is before a valve replacement is needed. Learn more.