Among various undeveloped hydropower resources classified by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the hydroelectricity potential from man-made water conduits (e.g., pipelines, aqueducts, irrigation ditches, and water conveyance canals) has been estimated as being relatively small but having the highest development feasibility. This type of small hydropower development does not require the construction of new dams or impoundments; involves minimum environmental concerns; entails reduced development risks; is eligible for net metering in most states, yielding high value for energy generated; and is likely to qualify for an expedited 45-day regulatory approval process through the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act (HREA) of 2013 and its amendments in 2018. To help DOE and the broader hydropower industry quantify the total hydropower potentials from national conduits, a reconnaissance-level hydropower resource assessment will be conducted in this study covering three main conduit sectors (municipal, agricultural, and industrial). The assessment will leverage the best available data acquired through federal and state drinking water regulatory agencies, as well as novel remote sensing techniques for systematic identification of national canal drop sites. The final product will be a national conduit hydropower resource assessment report summarizing the total resource potentials at both state and county levels without revealing sensitive or proprietary information at any site.
