Dam to be removed from AF River - Printable Version +- Fishing Forum (https://bigfishtackle.com/forum) +-- Forum: Utah Fishing Forum (https://bigfishtackle.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=386) +--- Forum: Utah Fishing General (https://bigfishtackle.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=58) +--- Thread: Dam to be removed from AF River (/showthread.php?tid=153489)

Dam to be removed from AF River - cat_man - 08-18-2004 From today's Daily Herald: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 12:00 AM [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/print.php?sid=32042"][/url] | [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recommend_Us&file=index&req=FriendSend&sid=32042"][/url] American Fork dam to be taken out to save trout Caleb Warnock DAILY HERALD Federal officials have cleared the way for PacifiCorp to remove a 96-year-old hydroelectric dam in American Fork Canyon in order to protect three species of trout. In an agreement between nine federal, state and environmental agencies, including Trout Unlimited, the Utah State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service, PacifiCorp agreed to remove the American Fork Hydroelectric Dam and 2.2 miles of pipeline beginning in September 2006. The powerhouse, built in 1906 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be preserved. The company also will donate its right to 50 cubic feet per second of river water to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, to be used for the preservation of brown and rainbow trout and the restoration of the Bonneville cutthroat trout in the American Fork River, said PacifiCorp spokesman Kimball Hansen. The powerhouse generated up to one megawatt of power, enough electricity to serve 500 residential homes. This compares with PacifiCorp's generating capacity of more than 8,000 megawatts. Removal of the dam and pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of 2007. "FERC approval of the agreement means that the last step in the removal process, short of deconstruction of the facility, has been completed," said Alan Matheson, the director of Trout Unlimited's Utah Water Project. "That means everything is on track to restore the American Fork River's fishery." The aging dam, located near Timpanogos Cave on State Road 92 in American Fork Canyon, was listed on the national register in 1989. It had been facing federal relicensing requirements that would have required major modifications, Matheson said. In the early years, the Upper American Fork Project, as it was then known, served the electrical needs of Lehi, American Fork and Pleasant Grove. It was built by Utah County Light and Power Company, which was eventually absorbed by Utah Power, the name under which PacifiCorp operates in Utah. An even earlier hydro project located downstream from the present project, known as the Lower American Fork Plant, was decommissioned before 1970. This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1. [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=32042&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0"]http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=32042&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0[/url] [signature] Re: [cat_man] Dam to be removed from AF River - Anthonygreer - 08-18-2004 I'm happy, but its gonna be three years before its completed? That sucks. Thanks for the info, I'd love for the cutthroats to make a comeback. Anthony [signature]