View source for Bull Run Hydroelectric Project

{{Infobox dam
| name                 = Marmot Dam and Little Sandy Dam
| name_official        = Bull Run Hydroelectric Project
| image                = Bull Run Hydroelectric Project.png
| image_size           =
| image_caption        = Map of the components of the Bull Run Hydroelectric Project
| image_alt            =
| location_map         =
| location_map_size    =
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| coordinates          = {{coord|45.42901|-122.23395|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| country              = United States
| location             = Oregon
| purpose              = Power generation
| status               = Decommissioned
| construction_began   = 1908
| opening              = 1912
| demolished           = 2007-2008
| cost                 =
| owner                = [[Portland General Electric]]
| operator             =
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| res_name             = Roslyn Lake
| res_capacity_total   = {{convert|928|acre.ft|m3|lk=in}}
| res_capacity_active  =
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| plant_turbines       =
| plant_capacity       = 22 [[Megawatt|MW]]
| plant_annual_gen     = 110,000 MW·h (400 [[terajoule|TJ]])
| website              =
| extra                =
}}
The '''Bull Run Hydroelectric Project''' was a [[Portland General Electric]] (PGE) development in the [[Sandy River (Oregon)|Sandy River]] basin in the U.S. state of [[Oregon]]. Originally built between 1908 and 1912 near the town of [[Bull Run, Oregon|Bull Run]], it supplied [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] power for the [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] area for nearly a century, until it was removed in 2007 and 2008. The project used a system of canals, tunnels, wood box [[flume]]s and [[diversion dam]]s to feed a remote storage reservoir and powerhouse. The entire project was removed because of rising environmental costs. Marmot Dam on the Sandy River was demolished in 2007, and the Little Sandy Dam on the [[Little Sandy River (Oregon)|Little Sandy River]] was taken down in 2008.
==History and overview==
[[File:Flume Little Sandy River.JPG|thumb|Wood box flume, after nearly 100 years of service, passing over the emptied Little Sandy riverbed. Rail tracks are mounted on the top of the flume for a maintenance trolley (note the dog at the footings for scale).]]
The [[Mount Hood Railway and Power Company]] (MHR&P), also known as the Mount Hood Company, began the project in 1906, building the Little Sandy Dam to divert water through a wooden [[flume]], about {{convert|3.2|mi|km}} long, to Roslyn Lake.<ref name = "Taylor 21-22">Taylor, pp. 21&ndash;22</ref>  The dam reduced streamflows on the lower {{convert|1.7|mi|km}} of the [[Little Sandy River (Oregon)|Little Sandy River]] and blocked all [[salmon]] and [[Rainbow trout|steelhead]] access to the upper {{convert|6.5|mi|km}} of the river.<ref name = "Taylor 21-22"/> Roslyn Lake was at {{convert|656|ft|m}} above sea level,<ref name="gnis Roslyn">{{cite web | work = [[Geographic Names Information System]] (GNIS) | publisher = United States Geological Survey | date =  November 28, 1980 | url ={{Gnis3|1148735}} | title = Roslyn Lake | accessdate = January 16, 2010}}</ref> about {{convert|400|ft|m}} higher than the mouth of the [[Bull Run River (Oregon)|Bull Run River]], at {{convert|242|ft|m}}.<ref name="gnis Bull Run River">{{cite web | work = [[Geographic Names Information System]] (GNIS) | publisher = United States Geological Survey | date =  November 28, 1980 | url ={{Gnis3|1138921}} | title = Bull Run River | accessdate = January 16, 2010}}</ref> The {{convert|140|acre|adj=on}} lake acted as a reservoir for the powerhouse, which was completed and put into operation in 1912, the same year that the MHR&P merged with [[Portland Railway, Light and Power Company]] (PRL&P), the predecessor of PGE.<ref name="Taylor 21-22"/>
In 1913 PRL&P built a dam on the [[Sandy River (Oregon)|Sandy River]] to supplement the Little Sandy Dam. The Marmot Dam, {{convert|45|ft|m}} high, diverted water from the Sandy to the Little Sandy by canal and tunnel, the longest of which ran {{convert|4690|ft|m}} under the ridge between the two rivers. The new dam supplied up to {{convert|600|cuft/s|m3/s}} to the Little Sandy above its diversion dam, and the Little Sandy provided up to {{convert|200|cuft/s|m3/s}}, all of which could be diverted through the flume to Roslyn Lake.<ref name = "Taylor 21-22"/>
The Marmot Dam included a [[fish ladder]] to allow migration of [[salmon]] and [[Rainbow trout|steelhead]]; however it performed poorly at first and required frequent upgrades and maintenance, which continued into the 1990s. To prevent fish from being swept into the diversion canal, PGE installed [[fish screens]] in 1951 and later added a bypass system to rescue fish trapped in the canal.<ref>Taylor, pp. 22&ndash;24</ref>
In 1989 the original [[Dam#Timber dams|timber crib]] Marmot Dam was replaced with a concrete structure.
==Operations==
{| class="wikitable sortable" align="right"
! Feature !! Location
|-
| Marmot Dam || {{coord|45.39969|-122.13233|type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:usgstopomap|name=Marmot Dam}}
|-
| Little Sandy Dam || {{coord|45.41492|-122.17757|type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:usgstopomap|name=Little Sandy Dam}}
|-
| Roslyn Lake || {{coord|45.425|-122.242|type:waterbody_region:US-OR_source:usgstopomap|name=Roslyn Lake}}
|-
| Bull Run Hydro powerhouse || {{coord|45.42901|-122.23395|type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:usgstopomap|name=Bull Run Hydroelectric powerhouse}}
|}
[[File:Marmot Dam above.jpg|right|thumb|Marmot Dam. The fish ladder is visible on the far side of the dam.]]
[[File:Machinery at Lake Roslyn.JPG|right|thumb|[[Penstock]] intake at Lake Roslyn]]
The powerhouse had a generating capacity of 22&nbsp;[[Watt|megawatt]]s (MW), enough to power 12,000&nbsp;homes in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |author = Editorial staff |title=A river released to the wild |work=The Oregonian |page = E04 |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11ABC3E11630C940&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D10F2CADB4B24C0 |date=July 29, 2007}}</ref>
==Decommissioning==
[[File:Marmot dam.ogg|Time lapse video of Dam removal.|thumb|320px]]
The decommissioning project required significant oversight, because Marmot Dam was the largest concrete dam ever removed in the United States.<ref>{{cite news
| first = Grant
| last = McOmie
| title = 2 the Outdoors - Marmot Dam Comes Down Soon
| url = http://www.katu.com/outdoor/story.asp?ID=76402
| publisher = KATU news
| date = April 11, 2005
| accessdate = June 11, 2008
| quote = When the dam removal begins it will be the largest concrete dam in America to come down.
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20050416121835/http://www.katu.com/outdoor/story.asp?ID=76402 |archivedate = April 16, 2005}}</ref>  PGE sought and received initial approval for the project from the [[Federal Energy Regulatory Commission]] (FERC) in 1999. PGE later employed [http://www.resolv.org/ RESOLVE], a non-profit dispute resolution organization, to help develop a detailed consensus plan among the interested parties. An agreement was reached in 2002 on the decommissioning.<ref name="decomplan"/> The primary issues addressed by the reviews were the impact on fish species (particularly [[salmonid]]s), their habitat, and the effect of the release of 1 million cubic yards (750,000 cubic meters) of sediment on the river course.<ref name="djc">{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4184/is_20070524/ai_n19186243|title=Bull Run dam removal poses engineering challenges|work=Daily Journal of Commerce|accessdate=November 18, 2007|date=May 24, 2007|first=Libby|last=Tucker}}</ref><ref name="sediment">''Numerical Modeling of Sediment Transport in the Sandy River, OR Following Removal of Marmot Dam'', Technical Report prepared for PGE by Stillwater Sciences, March 2000. ( [http://www.stillwatersci.com/publications/PGESedimentTransportModelingReport.pdf 3.7MB pdf]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})</ref><ref name="geomorph">''Evaluation of Geomorphic Effects of Removal of Marmot and Little Sandy Dams and Potential Impacts on Anadromous Salmonids'', Technical Report prepared for PGE by Stillwater Sciences, March 2000. ( [http://www.stillwatersci.com/publications/PGEMarchPreliminaryFinal.pdf 2.1MB pdf]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})</ref>  In 2004, PGE allowed its operating license to lapse, and filed a notice stating: "[...]the likely cost of providing the necessary level of protection, mitigation, and enhancement for the resources affected by the Project would outweigh the economic benefit of generation at the Project over the life of a new license[...]"<ref name="decomplan">{{cite web| title = Decommissioning Plan for the Bull Run Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No. 447| publisher = Portland General Electric | url = http://www.portlandgeneral.com/about_pge/news/sandy_land/decommissioning_plan.pdf  |  date = November 2002 | accessdate = February 9, 2010 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928065333/http://www.portlandgeneral.com/about_pge/news/sandy_land/decommissioning_plan.pdf |archivedate = September 28, 2007}}</ref> The project continued to operate with license extensions while decommissioning awaited approval. In 2006, PGE requested special approval of the decommissioning from the [[National Marine Fisheries Service]], because of the project's potential impact on [[coho salmon]]. The final review was conducted by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], which granted approval for the decommissioning on May 21, 2007. A spokesman for the Corps stated that the removal project was unusual, because "Large dams usually don't get removed."<ref name="djc" />
Before Marmot Dam could be removed, a temporary coffer dam had to be built upstream. When this phase of the project was complete, the removal of the permanent concrete dam could proceed. The destruction of the permanent dam began on 26 July 2007, when a public [[Demolition|controlled demolition]] weakened the structure. The rest of the dam was destroyed using [[pneumatic|pneumatic hammers]] over approximately 4 months.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themoneytimes.com/articles/20070726/blasts_spell_beginning_of_the_end_for_marmot_dam-id-107103.html |title=Blasts Spell Beginning of the End for Marmot Dam |first=Daisy |last=Sarma |date=July 27, 2007 |publisher=The Money Times |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831091613/http://www.themoneytimes.com/articles/20070726/blasts_spell_beginning_of_the_end_for_marmot_dam-id-107103.html |archivedate=August 31, 2007 }}</ref> The last concrete from Marmot Dam was removed on September 30, 2007,<ref name="pge dam removal">{{cite web|url=http://www.portlandgeneral.com/community_and_env/hydropower_and_fish/sandy/dam_removal.asp |title=Dam Removal Project |publisher=Portland General Electric |date=2007 |accessdate=November 18, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928065242/http://www.portlandgeneral.com/community_and_env/hydropower_and_fish/sandy/dam_removal.asp |archivedate=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the final phase of removal was completed on 20 October 2007, when the temporary earthen dam washed away and the [[Sandy River (Oregon)|Sandy River]] began to flow freely for the first time since 1912.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rain helps Sandy River run wild, free |work=The Oregonian |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1192935309261960.xml&coll=7 |date=October 29, 2007}}</ref><ref>The decommissioning of the dam was the subject of an episode of Megastructures Breakdown broadcast on the National Geographic Channel.</ref>
PGE removed Little Sandy Dam in 2008, eliminating Roslyn Lake. This restored Little Sandy River flow and made salmon and steelhead migration once again possible.<ref name="PGE">{{cite web|title=Sandy River |publisher=Portland General Electric |url=http://www.portlandgeneral.com/community_environment/initiatives/protecting_fish/sandy_river/default.aspx |accessdate=December 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213181211/https://www.portlandgeneral.com/community_environment/initiatives/protecting_fish/sandy_river/default.aspx |archivedate=February 13, 2015 }}</ref>  In May 2009, a fish biologist reported that salmon and steelhead were spawning upstream of the former dam.<ref>{{cite web | last = Strobel | first = Burke | title = Successful Salmon Spawning in Little Sandy River | publisher = Portland Water Bureau | url = http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?a=244029&c=43032 | accessdate = December 18, 2009}}</ref> PGE donated {{convert|1500|acre}} of the dam site to the [[Western Rivers Conservancy]].<ref name = "PGE"/> This land is planned to form the core of a {{convert|9000|acre|sing=on}} natural refuge and public recreation area, which will be managed by the [[Bureau of Land Management]].<ref name = "PGE"/> PGE's water rights on the river were transferred to the state.<ref>{{cite news | last = Brinckman | first = Jonathan | work = The Oregonian | title = PGE will remove 2 dams in basin of Sandy River | url = http://www.fwee.org/news/getStory?story=973 | publisher = The Foundation for Water and Energy Education (FWEE) | date = October 12, 2002 | accessdate = December 18, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927084923/http://www.fwee.org/news/getStory?story=973 | archive-date = September 27, 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref>  As of 2009, PGE biologists continue to monitor the streams.<ref name = "PGE"/>
As part of its decommissioning, PGE planned to demolish the powerhouse until a private company offered to buy it.<ref name="Re Gen powerhouse">{{cite web | title = Preservation group reaches agreement with PGE to acquire Bull Run Powerhouse | publisher = PGE | url = http://www.portlandgeneral.com/our_company/news_issues/news/02_02_2010_preservation_group_reaches_ag.aspx | accessdate = February 9, 2010 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20101129061822/http://portlandgeneral.com/our_company/news_issues/news/02_02_2010_preservation_group_reaches_ag.aspx | archivedate = November 29, 2010 }}</ref> Powerhouse Re Gen LLC, a group of historic preservationists, agreed to acquire the building which is eligible for listing on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].  According to the ''Daily Journal of Commerce'' of February 2, 2010, although PGE and Re Gen had agreed on the purchase, Re Gen was required to seek approval from [[Clackamas County]], complete an environmental study of the site, and seek approval from FERC.<ref>{{cite news|last = Weinstein | first= Nathalie | title = Preservationist group purchases Powerhouse | work = Daily Journal of Commerce | url = http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/02/02/portlands-past-preserved-with-powerhouse-purchase-enrgy/ | accessdate = February 9, 2010}}</ref> Re Gen, which had not announced specific plans for the site, plans to preserve it as well as other structures near Roslyn Lake.<ref name = "Re Gen powerhouse"/>
Powerhouse ReGen (owners: Jeff Joslin, Karen Karlsson, Rick Michaelson) completed the acquisition in 2011, the property by then consisting of the powerhouse site, the historic former Bull Run elementary school, and portions of the former Roslyn Lake Recreational Area.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.sandypost.com/news/story.php?story_id=133598702331542600
| title = Sale Saves Bull Run Powerhouse
| author = Jim Hart
| work = Sandy Post
| date = May 2, 2012
| accessdate = 2012-04-10
}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  Since the transference of ownership, restoration has commenced on various elements of the sites, but no specific repurposing has been determined.
An event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Powerhouse and its contributions to the region was organized by Powerhouse Re Gen in 2012.  The event attracted 600 visitors, including a number of long-time employees of the facility whose stories were captured by an ongoing oral history project associated with the preservation effort.
The NBC series ''Grimm'' episode, ''Leave It to Beavers'', featured the powerhouse and associated structures.  The site's transformer building served as a gathering place for giant beaver creatures.  The generator hall was the site of a battle between the show's protagonist and German "Grimm Reapers", culminating with the beheading of the would-be assassin reapers.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://thepreserveoregonblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/penstocks-of-past-and-future.html
| title = Penstocks of the Past, and Future
| author = George Kramer
| work = The Preserve Oregon Blog
| date = April 28, 2012
}}</ref>
In April 2014, the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners designated as the first Historic District within unincorporated Clackamas County the ensemble consisting of: the  powerhouse site, the historic former Bull Run elementary school, and portions of the former Roslyn Lake Recreational Area.
Following a decision by the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners to approve uses for the site other than those uses no longer allowed following decommissioning, the decision was appealed to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).  The decision was upheld in LUBA No 2015-022, allowing a balancing of statewide land use goals for historic preservation and high-value resource lands through the affording of such sites a precedent path for a Statewide Land Use Goal Exception.  The decision established that adaptive reuse of historic structures on resource land is necessary to preserve them, and that local jurisdictions can and should strategically rezone to allow limited uses not otherwise allowed in resource zones.  The decision not only supported viable approaches to preserve these specific sites, but also provided a bright line preservation path for all historic resources in Oregon Timber and Agriculture zones.
<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://restoreoregon.org/saving-powehouse/|title=Saving the Powerhouse|date=23 November 2015}}</ref>
In 2016 changes in ownership occurred.  The historic schoolhouse and park components of the site were conveyed to Trackers Earth, an environmental education organization.  The Powerhouse was established as an independent site as a result of the aforementioned land use decision, and was conveyed to the Powerhouse Center On The Bull Run, a non-profit established to maintain and preserve the Powerhouse, and identify future potential uses related to historic preservation and environmental education and stewardship.
==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}
==Works cited==
*Taylor, Barbara (1998). [https://web.archive.org/web/20150519202830/https://www.portlandgeneral.com/community_environment/initiatives/protecting_fish/sandy_river/docs/sandy_river_history_full.pdf "Salmon and Steelhead Runs and Related Events of the Sandy River Basin &ndash; A Historical Perspective"]. Portland, Oregon: Portland General Electric Company. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
==External links==
{{stack|{{Portal|Oregon|Water|Renewable energy}}}}
{{GeoGroupTemplate}}
* ''Settlement Agreement Concerning the Removal of the Bull Run Hydroelectric Project...'', PGE and interested parties, October 24, 2002. ( [https://web.archive.org/web/20060311202459/http://www.portlandgeneral.com/about_pge/news/sandy_land/agreement.pdf 1.2MB pdf])
* ''Clean Water Act § 401 Certification Evaluation and Finding Report'' For the Decommissioning of the Bull Run Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 477), Sandy River Basin, Clackamas County, Oregon [https://web.archive.org/web/20110723022004/http://www.deq.state.or.us/WQ/sec401cert/docs/hydropower/pgebullrun/conditions.pdf 1.2MB pdf].
* {{cite news
|date=2005-04-11
|title=Marmot Dam Comes Down Soon
|first=Grant
|last=McOmie
|work=KATU News
|url=http://www.katu.com/outdoor/story.asp?ID=76402 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20050416121835/http://www.katu.com/outdoor/story.asp?ID=76402 |archivedate = 2005-04-16}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101206011905/http://www.americanrivers.org/our-work/restoring-rivers/dams/projects/restoring-the-sandy-river.html Restoring the Sandy River Basin] (American Rivers)
* {{cite book
|title=American Hydroelectric Practice
|first=William Thomas
|last=Taylor
|author2=Daniel Harvey Braymer
|date=1917
|publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company
|url=https://archive.org/details/americanhydroel01braygoog
|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanhydroel01braygoog/page/n141 123]–124
}}
[[Category:Dams completed in 1906]]
[[Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1912]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Clackamas County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Dams in Oregon]]
[[Category:Hydroelectric power plants in Oregon]]
[[Category:Former hydroelectric power plants in the United States]]
[[Category:Portland General Electric dams]]
[[Category:1912 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Oregon]]
[[Category:2007 disestablishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Former dams]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2007]]
[[Category:Former power stations in Oregon]]