The District has been studying and measuring wind conditions in Douglas County since 2001. After narrowing the possible wind project locations to Withrow (an area northeast of Waterville), Douglas PUD has been working with land owners and state and federal agencies to find an economically viable site plan for a wind project.
The initial site plan for the Withrow Wind Project placed 106, 1.5 megawatt wind turbines in a 17,000 acre area which would generate a total of 160 megawatt. It also encompassed numerous private property parcels and state lands, while straddling both sides of State Route 172. Unfortunately, the original area studied, which has the best wind potential, encompassed sage grouse leks, or breeding grounds. Sage grouse are a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. To avoid unintended consequences of a wind project, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) requested the District move the wind project location entirely to the west of State Route 172 where there are no known leks and the ground is predominately cultivated and not suitable as sage grouse habitat.
The new site plan encompasses approximately 4,500 acres west of State Route 172, of which most of the land is cultivated. The revised site plan depicts 28, 2.5 megawatt wind turbines, 70 megawatt project as an economically viable site plan. The new location is near the District’s high voltage transmission line, making it ideal for getting the power to the grid.
The spring and summer of 2010 will be busy with continued environmental studies and inventories being conducted. WDFW will initiate sage grouse surveys within the revised project boundary. This will be a five year study to determine if the Withrow Wind Project has any affect on the resident sage grouse population in the Withrow area.
Additional studies being conducted on-site include: surveying for and documenting any rare, threatened or endangered plant species within the disturbed areas of the project, surveying for Washington ground squirrels, conducting preliminary engineering and design work for road and turbine locations, inventorying and assessing view corridors within proximity of the project, and numerous other studies related to environmental review, permitting and preliminary engineering phases of the project.
Wind is an untapped source of energy in Douglas County. The Pacific Northwest and the nation face an ever-increasing demand for electricity, preferably produced from domestic and renewable sources of energy. The District wants to help meet this demand by providing clean and renewable energy development from resources that are available locally. This is consistent with the District’s longstanding practice of providing clean, renewable hydro power. The development of a wind project by the District would ensure control over this new resource stays in the hands of the citizens of Douglas County.
