The recent rainfall has helped turn things around for Alaska Electric Light & Power’s water supply, but not enough to get the Greens Creek mine back online.
The heavy rains have put a lot of water into area lakes. Those same lakes generate hydropower and are putting more into the utility’s surplus. This helps assure power for both firm and special contract customers, moving them away from having to resort to diesel later.
Vice President and Generation Engineer Scott Willis said while the lakes rose most rapidly over the weekend, the rest of the week still got enough rain to generate some additional filling.
Willis said lake levels start rising in mid-May and typically continue until November. He said this amount of rain and the rapid lake risings were unusual, especially this time of year.
The latest lake level calculations showed the rise from last Thursday through Monday.
Lake Dorothy rose about 8.4 feet, still lacking around 16 feet before filling. Lake Dorothy had been going up 2 to 4 inches per day before the weekend.
Salmon Creek went up 12.6 feet in this time frame. It has around 14 feet to go before filling. Willis said the creek had typically been going up a few inches a day but had actually gone down a few inches a day the previous week until the rain.
Long Lake and Crater Lake had both been rising about 6 to 8 inches per day before the rain. Long Lake went up 19.4 feet over the weekend and has 22 feet left to the filling point. Crater Lake shot up 25.6 feet with around 68 feet left.
Snettisham received 14 inches of rain through the weekend.
Spokeswoman Debbie Ferreira said this is good news, as this has been the second dry year in a row. She said many of the lakes the utility uses for hydropower were at or below their minimum targets before this rain.
“They were definitely much lower than we prefer so the rainfall helps us out tremendously,” she said.
Ferreira said the goal is get all the lakes full by October. Another goal is to get enough surplus to serve Greens Creek as soon as possible. It was not been served since April 1.
There is still enough surplus energy to serve cruise ships and dual fuel customers. Firm customers have first priority over these special contract customers.
• Contact reporter Jonathan Grass at 523-2276 or at jonathan.grass@juneauempire.com.
Comments (9)
Add commentInteresting. Snet and Salmon
Interesting. Snet and Salmon Creek have served our community for decades. Dorothy is built tauting that she will serve the mine and cruiseships. But now, since "this has been the second dry year in a row" (I seem to have missed all that dry sunny weather) with all three running, we can just barely keep up and can't serve the mine. Gee hope we wont have to resort to diesel...
Also, we have f;ood warnings all over Juneau area. Mendenhall lake is bursting at the seams and flooding, but the power generation lakes are just barely up above minimums.
Why do I get the feeling we are being set up?
Poor AEL&P
I feel sorry for AEL&P. Their free water is falling short of projections. Maybe we should all chip in and add a little extra to our electric bill to help them out.
The next catastrophe will be that a dam is faulty and will need repair. Electric rates up 40% to pay for that
When the lakes fill up and
When the lakes fill up and AEL&P is able to serve Greens Creek, your rates will go down. The winter snow packs have been down, thats the major source, not summer rain. Your not being set up, your just paranoid.
Kpawsuh
You get the feeling we are being set up because we are being set up. I would guess you knew that though.
Paranoia is learned behavior.
Paranoia is learned behavior.
I don't buy their story.
They actually expects us to believe that the weather this summer has been dry at Dorothy, Snettisham, and Salmon Lakes. It would be nice if they just admitted that they drained the lakes to sell power to Greens Creek and that is why they will have to turn to diesel next winter.
Paranoia
Some say paranoia is an illness; others believe that it is a true sign of experience. The test is: Is someone peeing in your pocket while at the same time trying to tell that there is a warm rain falling?
Please note
The decision to raise our electric rate from 22% to 24% tomorrow, is coming up for a decision by the regulatory commission.
Then we have to see what all that "evidence" is regarding rainfall, lake levels and so forth. We have to watch who is trying to persuade whom.
Its all a game of persuasion then decision and who will pay or not pay.
Lakes not filling fast enough?
Every lake, river and stream in the northern half of SE Alaska is pretty much at full capacity. We've had flooding, for crying out loud. I was at a remote lake last week that was at a higher level than I've seen it in about 8 years and the river leading out of it had changed course due to the extremely high volume of water. Are these other 3 lakes in a special microclimate or rain shadow?