The Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project was taken offline on August 15 for its annual maintenance outage. In addition to routine and preventative maintenance on the 27.5-megawatt facility, workers at Packwood have another task to perform each August: Fishing.
But rather than catching fish for sport, Energy Northwest employees work with biologists and contractors to rescue any fish caught in the facility’s stilling basin.
The maintenance outage includes taking Packwood’s generator offline and isolating the penstock from the rest of Packwood Lake. The penstock is made up of about 5 miles of pipe and tunnel that travels from the lake to the powerhouse. After passing through the powerhouse, water then travels through a tailrace canal for about 1.5 miles before reaching the Cowlitz River.
As work begins to drain down the penstock, fish can get caught in the canals and Packwood’s stilling basin is cut off from the river system. Once the water level is low enough to allow safe access, workers walk the length of the canal searching for stranded fish. The team works to safely net and transport the fish back to the river.
Workers also use a large seine net to capture fish caught in the basin. Biologists from McMillen Jacobs & Associates assisted with this year’s fish rescue. The fish are counted, identified, and logged before being released.
“We want to be good neighbors and good stewards of the environment,” said Ken Williams, hydro and wind projects supervisor. “It’s fun to get down there and find the fish, but more than that it’s important. By working together with biologists and environmental agencies, hydroelectric facilities like Packwood can remain a source of clean energy for our region while protecting fish populations.”
Packwood is EN’s first electric power project. The operation began in 1964. In addition to Packwood, EN’s Energy Services & Development division supplies operations and maintenance services for the Tieton Hydroelectric Project on Rimrock Lake, the Portland Hydroelectric Project on the Bull Run River, and the Stone Creek Hydroelectric Project on the Clackamas River in Oregon.
