Volcano may heat Portland water
PORTLAND (AP) — Northwest
Natural Gas Co. (NWG) hopes to
reach into a still-active volcano to
tap a renewable supply of hot
water for Portland factories, offi
cials said Monday.
If successful, the project would
be the first major venture of its
kind in the United States, said
NWG vice president Paul Howe
Sr.
And "there's certainly a possibil
ity of finding enough hot water in
the 10,000-acre area we have
under lease to heat the whole city
of Portland if it becomes economi
cally feasible,” added consulting
geologist John Hook.
The project would ship hot
water through an insulated
pipeline to wood and food proces
sing plants about 43 miles east of
Mt. Hood in the Oregon Cas
cades, Howe told a news confer
ence.
Water might also be diverted to
heat private homes along the
route of the buried pipeline, he
said. Once through the factories,
the still-warm liquid could be used
for irrigation to increase agricul
tural yields.
Howe said the project was
"beautiful environmentally.”
Drilling is to begin Thursday on
two small exploratory wells de
signed to confirm geologists' be
lief that pure water of at least 165
degrees is available, Howe said.
He said water delivered in
Portland at 150 degrees would be
economically competitive with
gas-fired water heaters now used
by pulp mills and canneries.
Preliminary results should be
available within about two weeks,
Howe said
The next step would be a year
or two of extensive exploration to
map the geothermal reservoir.
If results are favorable. Howe
said, the $50 million project would
involve about 50 producing wells
that would send 25,000 gallons of
water per minute through a
44-inch pipeline.
Howe said the project would in
volve the longest hot-water
transmission line ever attempted,
but he said the technology is read
ily available. Temperatures
should drop “certainly less than
10 degrees” along the 43-mile
pipeline route, he said.
Steam from geothermal reser
voirs is generating electricity in
California, Italy, Mexico and else
where. Natural hot water has for
decades heated homes and
fueled industries in Iceland.
Geothermal resources are used
on a smalll scale for space heating
in Boise, Idaho and Klamath Falls.
Hook said Mt. Hood, where jets
of steam escape as isolated
fumaroles, offers unique pos
sibilities for geothermal develop
ment. Barely 200 years ago the
Alaska pipeline cost
to exceed estimate
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
final exists of the Alcan natural gas
pipeline through Canada will ex
ceed the Carter administration's
top estimate of $13.7 billion, a
government financial expert told a
Senate hearing Monday.
In an interview, Monte Canfield,
director of the energy division of
the General Accounting Office,
said he would not be surprised if
the final cost of the Alcan Pipeline
Co. project reached $25 billion or
$30 billion.
He told the Senate energy
committee that inflation, “minimal
site-specific data and several im
portant technical uncertainties''
will help raise the cost of the pro
ject above the current estimate of
about $10 billion.
The committee began hearings
Monday on President Carter’s re
commendation that the Alcan pro
ject to move Alaskan natural gas
south by pipeline through the
Yukon be approved
Canfield, who said his office did
not have enough information to
draw up a prediction of the final
costs of the pipeline, based his
testimony on a study of the
Alyeska oil pipeline through
Alaska.
That pipeline, which began op
erations this summer, has cost
about $7.8 billion, up from the orig
inal estimate of $863 million.
"If project engineering and sys
tem design are based on more
complete data, both become less
subject to change," Canfield told
the hearing. “We should insist on
site-specific data and on thorough
investigation of the technical and
geological uncertainties ’’
The government also should in
sist on a continuing audit of the
pipeline project to keep track of
costs, he said.
"Our agreement with the Cana
dian government should be
amended to stipulate that an on
going audit and other U.S. re
quirements affecting the gas
pipeline construction will be im
plemented during construction
with Canada," he added.
Earlier in the hearing, U.S.
Energy Secretary James
Schlesinger said Canada is work
ing on details for a strict monitor
ing mechanism for the section of
the pipeline through Canada.
He also said that certain
clauses of the pipeline agreement
signed recently by the two
countries — such as decreased
rates of return for the companies
building the lines if there are major
cost over-runs — will keep con
struction costs down.
In response to questions from
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska,
Schlesinger said while Canada
has made no commitments, the
United States has had indications
that Canada would increase ex
ports of natural gas if the pipeline
is built and that there would be
"possible further reductions in gas
shipments" if the project is turned
down.
Nuclear power science
examined in classroom
A new class, Scientific Aspects
of Nuclear Power, is still open to
students for fall term. Listed in the
Time Schedule of Classes as
General Science 215, the class is
open to non-science majors. In
terested students are encouraged
to sign up this week.
The course is taught in four
parts, with the final three weeks
consisting of guest lectures.
Francis Reithel, professor of
chemistry; Edward Novitski, pro
fessor of biology and Michael
Moravosik, professor of physics,
will teach the three credit class of
fered in Science I, Room 30 at
2:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays.
volcanic mountain spewed boiling
lava in a major eruption, he said. It
awoke less dramatically about
1840.
“We have a volcano that essen
tially is still active,” he said. Its
core is molten rock.
Water from artesian springs
and melting snow is heated when
it drifts near the white-hot core, he
said. The result should be a re
source Hook describes as “re
newable and essentially inex
haustible.”
Howe said the company has
purchased an application for the
10,000-acre U.S. Forest Service
lease and "as far as we can de
termine it’s very close to being
granted. The lease is not required
for these kinds of initial explorat
ory holes.”
The World Renowned
Flamenco Guitarist
Two Performances — Oct. 5th — 8:30 PM & 10:30 PM
Lane County Civic Center — 1330 Madison — Eugene
Admission: S6.00 — Tickets at: HQUSE OF RECORDS
CRYSTAL SHIP • MEIER & FRANK
A SHALAM PRODUCTION
D3DCEQX]D5!oS5Sk
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Complete Art and Architecture Supplies at Discount Prices.
open M - Th - 9-9, Fri & Sat tU 6 pm, Sun 12-5
Two blocks from campus on 13th.
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
RESERVE OFFICERS’ TRAINING CORPS
The US Air Force needs highly qualified, dedicated officers... both men and women... In all kinds of
educational disciplines. Air Force ROTC offers 4,3, and 2 year programs (and scholarships). Contrary
to what some people think, there is no military obligation before the last two years of the Air Force
ROTC.
FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES can register for Aerospace Studies classes (1 credit hour) during
normal registration or by adding AS 121/AS 221 by Oct. 14.
If you are ready to look over the horizon into your future, come visit me or talk to some of our cadets.
You’ll be glad you did.
Captain Don Travis 1675 Agate St. — near the dorms 686-3107