New York firm proposes hydroelectric stations in Davenport, Muscatine

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By Tom Saul | Sunday, December 02, 2007 |

A New York state company wants to turn muddy Mississippi River water into electricity by building two massive power stations at locks and dams in the Quad-City region.

BPUS Generation Development LLC of Liverpool, N.Y., has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for preliminary permits to build the hydroelectric plants at Lock and Dam 15 in Davenport and Lock and Dam 16 near Muscatine, Iowa.

The agency’s acceptance of the applications and publication of a notice about BPUS’ filings triggered a 60-day period during which residents and others can submit written comments, protests or requests to intervene in the matter.

Potential issuance of the permits does not authorize construction of the plants, the notices state. Permits would be good for three years. During that period, BPUS would have to do environmental and economic analysis and preliminary engineering designs. Based on the studies, the company could then choose to seek permits to allow it to build.

A spokesman for FERC did not return a call Wednesday seeking comment on the applications. A spokesman for BPUS also did not return phone calls seeking comment.

The largest of the two power stations would be on Davenport’s downtown riverfront, where the city is forging ahead with its RiverVision project, an effort to revitalize the water’s edge and turn it into a place for tourists, recreation activities and public events.

The powerhouse would measure 245 feet long by 160 feet wide by 60 feet high and contain six water-driven turbine generators, according to the application. City officials were unaware of the application Wednesday, but began looking into it once they learned of it, City Administrator Craig Malin said.

“RiverVision certainly doesn’t anticipate having a building of that size on the river,” Malin said.

But since the city owns its riverfront and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would likely have to be involved before any construction could take place, Malin said, Davenport would be “in a fairly good position” to control land use at the site.

In recent decades, several proposals have come forward to build hydroelectric plants on locks and dams in the region. In the early 1990s, a Charlotte, N.C., firm withdrew a proposal to build a plant at Lock and Dam 15 after a fight with environmentalists.

Since 1993, LeClaire has held a permit to build a plant at Lock and Dam 14. A 1996 estimate put the cost of that project at $110 million, and environmental concerns have been raised. The permit is set to expire. On Monday, LeClaire officials voiced interest in seeking an extension from FERC.

The Mississippi River is not well-suited to hydroelectric generation, said John Betker, a project manager for the Corps of Engineers at Arsenal Island. The locks and dams were built to make the river more navigable, and the elevation between pools is not great enough to hold back the large amounts of water needed to turn turbines.

“In general terms on the Mississippi River, there aren’t many locations where you can generate power,” Betker said. “There isn’t enough of a drop between pools.”

Power generation can also wreak havoc on fish populations and habitat and mussel beds and lead to silting, said Sheila Bosworth, of the Eagle View Group of the Sierra Club serving the Quad-Cities region. Those were among the issues in the early 1990s as environmentalists fought the plant at Lock and Dam 15.

“The power lines were also an issue,” Bosworth said. “They were going to go through a lot of eagle habitat. We base a lot of tourism on eagles. If you change the habitat, does that mean the eagles will go someplace else?”

The Quad-City Conservation Alliance fought the proposal by the North Carolina firm, but current president Rich Miller said he could think of none who remain who remember the battle. The group heard of BPUS’ proposal weeks ago, but has remained quiet about it.

So far, the BPUS plans are in a preliminary stage, Miller said. Since the plants would be built at the locks and dams, the Corps of Engineers would likely have to give its permission, “and I just don’t see that happening.”

“We’re a community-oriented organization, and we don’t want to ruffle feathers if we can get away without doing it,” Miller said. “We try to stay neutral, unless something major that has a major impact comes along.”

Tom Saul can be contacted at (563) 383-2453 or tsaul@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at www.qctimes.com.