Fall 2011 21
Applegater
Update on the Applegate Dam Hydroelectric Project
BY marGaret deLLa santina
On September 13, Symbiotics LLC
held an open house at the Ruch Library
to explain plans for construction of the
Applegate Dam Hydroelectric project.
The library meeting room was packed with
residents hoping to learn about the impact
of this upcoming project. In case you
were not able to attend that informational
meeting, this article is intended to bring
you up-to-date.
First, a little background: In
December 2009, the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved
Symbiotics’ proposal for a 10-megawatt
hydroelectric retrofit project. (This
license was granted nearly five years after
Symbiotics submitted their proposal
in 2004.) Both before and after the
FERC approval, numerous residents
voiced concern about the aesthetic,
environmental, and safety issues posed
by the addition of taller, high-voltage
transmission lines. In September 2010,
a “contested case hearing” was held by
the Oregon Department of Justice at the
Ruch Library. This hearing was attended
by an overflow crowd of community
members, many of whom raised their
concerns and questions to the Oregon
Water Resources Department, Symbiotics
LLC and their lawyers, and the presiding
Oregon Administrative Law Judge. Clearly
surprised by the outpouring of community
concern, Judge Han eventually closed the
formal hearing, and continued in a town
hall meeting format.
Judge Han eventually issued a
preliminary approval of the hydroelectric
project that did not require burying the under way between Symbiotics, Charter
lines. Nonetheless, in part as a result of that Communications and CenturyLink. At
hearing, in December 2010 Symbiotics the September 13 meeting, residents were
announced their intention to bury the asked to complete a survey gauging interest
entire 15 miles of transmission lines, from in obtaining (or switching to) high-speed
the dam to the substation on Highway Internet; this data is critical to supporting
238 near Cantrall-Buckley Park. (Existing our case. If you are interested in the
power-delivery lines will not be affected.) possibility of high-speed Internet, and did
Symbiotics requested from FERC a license not complete a survey at the September
amendment granting approval to “bury 13 meeting, please contact Jack Berger at
all 15 miles of the transmission lines from CenturyLink (Jack.Berger@CenturyLink.
com) and/or Greg
the powerhouse to
Templer at Charter
their terminus.”
learly surprised by the
Communications
Eric Steimle
outpouring of community
(Greg.Templer@
o f S y m b i o t i c s concern, Judge han eventually
chartercom.com).
e x p l a i n e d t h i s closed the formal hearing…
The open
decision—which
house on September
adds about 14% to
the approximately $18-million project— 13 was hosted by Larry Hobbs, project
as a reflection of Symbiotics’ desire to superintendent at Symbiotics. He was
be “a good neighbor to residents of the joined by three representatives from
Mowat, the engineering firm contracted
Applegate Valley.”
Those of us who support the use of to do the construction. Mike Kuntz
the existing dam to generate non-fossil-fuel from Jackson County Roads Department
energy were delighted with Symbiotics’ was also on hand to answer questions.
decision, and began to talk with Symbiotics Tim Callahan, the project engineer
representatives about other ways the project from Mowat, provided the following
might be mutually beneficial. For instance, information about the schedule and
one possible benefit is the prospect of logistics of the project:
• Construction of the transmission
extending high-speed Internet all the way
out Upper Applegate Road. Currently, line route is scheduled to begin in mid-
residents who live beyond the nine-mile January 2012, and estimated to take about
marker must rely on slow dial-up or eight months, concluding toward the end
expensive satellite connections. Symbiotics of summer 2012.
• Trench-digging will begin at the
has offered the use of their open trenches
to any Internet provider that would like Ruch substation, and move from there
to extend service along the transmission along Hamilton Road, then Upper
route, and discussions are currently Applegate Road to the dam.
C
• Crews will work from 7 am to 5
pm most workdays, and generally not on
weekends or holidays.
• The trench will be approximately
two feet wide and four feet deep. Open
trenches will be clearly marked with signs,
fencing, and/or lighted barrels.
• When digging is scheduled to cross
a driveway, residents will be given one to
two weeks advance notice of the date/time.
Crews will attempt to complete work on
driveways within a few hours.
• In several spots, the trench must
cross the road. When the road must be
closed, Mowat will provide several weeks’
advance notice, and will perform the work
during off-peak hours.
• A signboard will be posted outside
the Ruch Library once construction
has begun, showing the progress of the
project and the area that is currently under
construction. This board will be updated
regularly. In addition, maps showing
the transmission-line burial route are on
display at the Ruch Library.
Although this project is bound to be
disruptive to many residents, Symbiotics
and Mowat both are hoping to maintain
good community relations through this
process. If you have questions or concerns as
the project progresses, you can direct these
to Larry Hobbs, Project Superintendent:
larry.hobbs@symbioticsenergy.com. For
general information and updates on the
project, a binder is available at the Ruch
Library labeled “Applegate Dam Project.”
Stay informed!
Margaret della Santina • 541-899-9950
Upper Applegate
Bicycle Lanes
BY PhiL doLLison
Following in the footsteps of
Symbiotics, with their plans to construct
a power-generating facility at Applegate
Lake and lay the transmission lines
underground along Upper Applegate
Road, the Applegate River Watch Group,
Inc., hopes to construct approximately
nine miles of bicycle/pedestrian lanes
along Upper Applegate Road, from
Ruch to the far side of Applegate Lake.
This will connect to approximately nine
existing miles of bicycle lanes already in
place along Upper Applegate Road. The
nine-mile addition will provide almost
18 miles of safe bicycle/pedestrian lanes
stretching from Ruch almost to the
California border.
In order to keep construction
costs down, we are hoping to hire a
retired roads engineer to work with us,
coordinating with Jackson County Roads
Department, to engineer and design
the first section of road-widening for
construction of bicycle/pedestrian lanes.
Symbiotics has offered to deliver excess
crushed rock for use as shoulder (bike
lane) base material at no charge and
Jackson County has agreed to allow us
to store the crushed rock on county land
along Upper Applegate Road.
As our bicycle-lane project is getting
started, we are looking for donations and
pledges to begin our first section from the
two-mile marker on Upper Applegate
Road to Little Applegate Bridge. At
the same time, the U.S. Forest Service
is looking for grant funding for the
approximately 2.3 miles of roadway they
control along Upper Applegate Road. To
date, we have $1,100 in an account at
Rogue Federal Credit Union (under the
auspices of the Applegate River Watch
Group), as well as $1,900 in pledges. In
addition, 14 local residents have agreed
to support us with their tax-deductible
donations. By the time Symbiotics
begins trenching from Ruch to the
Applegate Dam along Hamilton Road
(in January of 2012), we hope to have
sufficient funding to begin engineering
our first section: Seven-tenths of a mile
between Hamilton Road and Little
Applegate Bridge.
Applegate River Watch Group,
Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit community
organization and, as such, all donations
are tax-deductible. If you would like to
donate to this worthy cause, please send
your donation (or monetary pledge)
to Applegate River Watch Group,
Inc., 6621 Upper Applegate Road,
Jacksonville, OR 97530.
Phil Dollison
541-899-9601
Applegate River Watch Group, Inc.
“Back in Time” is on vacation and will return
in the Winter edition of the Applegater.
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