Fire Near Bonneville Dam, Cut-Capacity Nuclear Plant Stretch BPA
Listen
Several uncontrolled wildfires in the Columbia River Gorge burning near Bonneville Dam are challenging the Bonneville Power Administration.
BPA said all of its municipal customers are OK so far. But the Eagle Creek fire has forced officials to shut off power on a section of lines that run from Cascade Locks, Oregon, to Hood River for firefighter safety.
Heavy smoke from the Eagle Creek fire hangs over the Bonneville Dam powerhouse. Mission essential personnel remained at the dam to maintain safe operations and monitor the critical infrastructure. U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District spokeswoman Michelle Helms said Bonneville Dam is providing normal power to the grid so far. She said staffing at the project has been cut down to just the essential people and senior level staff.
There are also teams of people roving around the entire project property checking for spot fires and monitoring the situation. The dam has turned on all the sprinklers on its grounds to aid in suppressing any embers.
The Eagle Creek fire is burning 10,000 acres in the Columbia River Gorge near Cascade Locks, Oregon. INCIWEB
The Army Corps has closed its two visitor centers at Bonneville and BPA is also watching fires on the Washington side of the river very closely.
Upriver outside of Richland, the Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant—also a key power producer for BPA—is still lagging at at 65 percent strength. The plant has been offline for 13 days this summer, while workers repaired a faulty valve and filtered iron out of the plant’s cooling water.
Energy Northwest spokesman Mike Paoli said the nuclear plant should be back at full operations by the end of the week.
9(MDEwMDE0NjgyMDEzNDY0NDY5NTBmNTc1Yg004))
Related Stories:
Seattle Veterans Affairs staffer alleges whistleblower retaliation
A staffer for the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System has alleged retaliation after he spoke out about the deteriorating conditions of a building on the south Seattle campus that housed specialty clinics and office space.
Douglas Galuszka, chief of logistics, was issued two suspensions totaling three weeks of unpaid leave this year. He said VA administrators punished him for calling attention to leadership failures at the hospital and talking with press. According to Galuszka, the two suspensions he served mark the only discipline he has received in his seven years working for the VA. Prior to the suspensions, Galuszka said, he was not counseled by a supervisor or required to go through training.
What is Initiative 2109?
Listen I-2109 would repeal the capital gains tax, which helps fund child care and schools. (Credit: Flickr Creative Commons / Kids’ Work Chicago Daycare) (Runtime :56) Read In NWPB’s recent
What is Initiative 2124?
A resident makes his way to the dining room for lunch at a nursing home on March 6, 2020. (Credit: David Goldman / AP Photo) Listen (Runtime :53) Read In
