Wary eyes watch as work starts on Jordanelle plant

WASATCH COUNTY — As bedrock drilling begins on a new hydropower plant just downstream from the Jordanelle Dam, environmentalists cast wary eyes toward potential effects on fish and other aquatic life.

"We're taking soil samples and establishing the depth of the bedrock to see what kind of settlement the engineers are facing," Brent Rhees, manager of the engineering division for the Bureau of Reclamation, said of work started earlier this week, preparatory to finalizing plant design. "This structure will sit on the bedrock."

The bureau, which constructed the dam, has targeted the fall of 2002 or spring of 2003 for completion of the estimated $12 million to $12.5 million power plant. Plans call for it to sit on bureau land about 200-300 feet from the outlet works south of the dam, where water feeds back into the Provo River.

"This is really kind of a quick-hitter job for us," said Rhees. "Our part probably will be over in several days."

Conservation advocates, however, want assurances the overall process is long enough for reviewing impacts on fish and fowl habitat and food sources.

"We're not opposing the plant, per se. I'm not waving a red flag, saying there are goblins afoot, necessarily," said Paul Dremann, Salt Lake City, conservation officer for the Utah Council of Trout Unlimited, and a retired Utah Power systems planning engineer.

"What I am saying is, ain't nobody knows more about hydropower than I do, and I'm saying there are potential problems with this plant. It may play unmitigated hell with habitat. It may not.

"They're saying, 'trust us, no problem.' I'm saying this is too important to take that at face value. So far this has been a closed-off kind of a deal where public input is concerned. They need to demonstrate this isn't going to affect aquatic life downstream."

Public hearings are in the offing, Rhees said, once the Central Utah Water Conservancy District completes its portion of an environmental impact statement, as required by National Environmental Policy Act guidelines.

"The Central District does the legwork, but we are the lead agency for the environmental document, and there will be opportunities for public involvement —probably this summer — once those studies are in," Rhees said.