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National Hydropower Association’s (NHA) Clean Currents conference + tradeshow is coming to Portland, Oregon, from October 7 – 10. Alongside the event’s bevy of content, networking get-togethers, and insight delivered by the water power industry’s top-minds, Clean Currents boasts incredible tour opportunities, allowing attendees to connect to the Pacific Northwest’s rich water power history.
On Monday, October 7, 2024, 30 participants will be able to take part in the “Irrigation Meets Small Hydro Tour” hosted by East Fork Irrigation District, Farmers Conservation Alliance, and Farmers Irrigation District, and led by Jed Jorgensen, Advisor at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Tickets, which can be purchased at the time of registration for $75, include lunch and transportation.
The trip spotlights innovative irrigation canals supplying water to Oregon’s Hood River Valley, featuring a look into irrigation canals modernized to include piping, creating opportunities to conserve water, save energy, and install conduit hydropower to help generate renewable energy. Participants will have the chance to visit these modernized canals, as well as a 1.8 MW hydro plant, and more!
Located only an hour-and-a-half from Portland, participants will learn first-hand how hydropower continues to transform critical water power processes.
TOUR DETAILS
In Oregon, 85% of water is used for irrigation. A vast, century-old network of earthen canals remains the most common way irrigation water is delivered to farms throughout the Western United States.
Many of these irrigation canals have reached the end of their useful life, requiring significant and costly annual maintenance to remain in service. As the canals age, they lose up to 15% – 30% or more of water due to seepage or evaporation, which exacerbates drought challenges for both farmers and rivers.
To help combat the effects of water loss caused by aging irrigation canals, the integration of hydropower via piping projects offers both agricultural and environmental benefits.
During the tour, participants will be able to visit piped irrigation canals, as well as a 1.8 MW conduit hydropower plant – Plant 3, which is owned and operated by Farmers Irrigation District. Powered by a Pelton wheel and Kunming generator, the plant receives water via two main pipelines and canal systems. The project is one of several, in aggregate, that generate over 15% of Hood River County’s electricity.
These projects offer an important template in furthering water power investments, as the modernization of irrigation canals via piping can help conserve water, save energy, and provide additional opportunity to install conduit hydropower, which aids in the generation of renewable energy.
After touring Plant 3, attendees will visit a gorgeous orchard, supplied with water from the East Fork Irrigation District, in Oregon’s Hood River Valley. Hood River Valley is bounded by the Columbia River to the north, Mount Hood – Oregon’s highest mountain – to the south, and the Cascade Range crest to the west. Famed for its tree fruit agriculture, including one of the world’s largest pear growing areas, the Hood River Valley is a premier destination for visitors to the Pacific Northwest.
When the orchard visit concludes, attendees will gather for lunch in the beautiful Tucker Park located outside the city of Hood River, Oregon. Nationally recognized as an ideal location for a variety of outdoor sports, Hood River has been named “the coolest small town” and “fifth best ski-town in America” by national magazines, and the city was featured by CNN as one of “11 great riverfront towns” in the United States.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about how to add the tour to your registration, click HERE.
If you have questions about this opportunity, please reach out to Ellie Rubalow, NHA’s Events Specialist, at ellie@hydro.org.
