GRDA Seeks Postponement on Lake Drawdown
Vinita — The Grand River Dam Authority has announced it has made a formal request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to delay the refilling of the W.R. Holway Reservoir for approximately one to two months. If that request is approved, the proposed drawdown of Grand Lake, which GRDA announced just earlier this week, could be postponed.
"Because we have been able to forge a good working relationship with FERC, GRDA staff is optimistic the Commission will grant our request to delay the refill of the Holway Reservoir until the spring rains," said GRDA Chief Executive Officer Kevin Easley, who plans to meet with FERC officials next week to discuss the matter.
In a letter to Grand Lake dockowners and accompanying press release, GRDA had announced earlier this week that it would begin drawing water out of Grand Lake in late January. That drawdown would then insure the level of Lake Hudson was high enough to facilitate the refill of Holway Reservoir, located above the Salina Pumped Storage Project (SPSP), on the Saline Creek arm of Lake Hudson, southeast of Salina. The only "pumped storage" facility in Oklahoma, the SPSP utilizes six hydroelectric turbine-generators that also operate as pumps, moving water from Hudson through penstocks into the Holway Reservoir. Water can be stored in that reservoir and released back through the turbines to generate electricity.
In October 2005, GRDA drained the reservoir to begin a FERC-mandated project, which included repairs and inspections in the reservoir canal. With that portion of the work now complete, the plan was to refill the reservoir during the month of February, which would have caused the level of Grand to drop at a rate of one-half to three-fourths of a foot per week. However, severe drought conditions across this region of the country has kept the level of all area lakes below normal for several months.
"We understand that filling the Holway Reservoir at this time would cause a hardship for many property owners on Grand Lake," said Easley. "So we are simply asking FERC to let us delay the work until we begin to see significant rainfall in the watershed."
GRDA expects to receive a decision from FERC on its request sometime next week.
"Because we have been able to forge a good working relationship with FERC, GRDA staff is optimistic the Commission will grant our request to delay the refill of the Holway Reservoir until the spring rains," said GRDA Chief Executive Officer Kevin Easley, who plans to meet with FERC officials next week to discuss the matter.
In a letter to Grand Lake dockowners and accompanying press release, GRDA had announced earlier this week that it would begin drawing water out of Grand Lake in late January. That drawdown would then insure the level of Lake Hudson was high enough to facilitate the refill of Holway Reservoir, located above the Salina Pumped Storage Project (SPSP), on the Saline Creek arm of Lake Hudson, southeast of Salina. The only "pumped storage" facility in Oklahoma, the SPSP utilizes six hydroelectric turbine-generators that also operate as pumps, moving water from Hudson through penstocks into the Holway Reservoir. Water can be stored in that reservoir and released back through the turbines to generate electricity.
In October 2005, GRDA drained the reservoir to begin a FERC-mandated project, which included repairs and inspections in the reservoir canal. With that portion of the work now complete, the plan was to refill the reservoir during the month of February, which would have caused the level of Grand to drop at a rate of one-half to three-fourths of a foot per week. However, severe drought conditions across this region of the country has kept the level of all area lakes below normal for several months.
"We understand that filling the Holway Reservoir at this time would cause a hardship for many property owners on Grand Lake," said Easley. "So we are simply asking FERC to let us delay the work until we begin to see significant rainfall in the watershed."
GRDA expects to receive a decision from FERC on its request sometime next week.
posted by Editor | 2:40 AM
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