Contact: Media Hotline 800-570-5838 October 15, 2018
Work on Bend Hydro dam planned for early November
Planned reinforcements include steel facing across entire dam
Bend, Ore. —Pacific Power is preparing to make reinforcements to its dam in downtown Bend to address a small leak that developed in one of the structure’s wooden panels. The work is expected to begin in early November.
On October 10, a plant operator discovered more water than normal passing through an outlet that was once used to regulate river flow. The source of the leak is a wooden panel that was installed about 25 years ago to seal the outlet, which is no longer used. The leak is affecting the company’s ability to maintain normal water levels for Mirror Pond, but poses no safety risk and does not impact the structural integrity of the dam.
The work will include driving long pieces of interlocking steel sheets, known as sheet pile, into the river bed to create steel facing on the upstream side of the leaking panel and remaining sections of the 100-year-old wooden structure that have not already been reinforced. The method was successfully used in 2008, 2009, and 2014 after similar leaks were discovered. The entire face of the dam will be reinforced with this next round of sheet pile installation.
“These reinforcements will allow us to continue to operate the hydro project and maintain Mirror Pond levels for the community for the foreseeable future,” said Mark Sturtevant, managing director of Renewable Resources, who oversees hydro operations for PacifiCorp.
The dam is located near the Newport Avenue bridge. In addition to diverting water for the company’s hydroelectric project, the dam creates Mirror Pond by impounding the section of the Deschutes River immediately upstream.
The work will begin as soon as a large construction crane can be brought into the area and all needed permits are in hand. The company currently expects the work to start around November 5 and last for about four weeks.
Mirror Pond levels are currently about two feet below normal for this time of year and are expected to remain two to four feet below normal until the reinforcements are complete.
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