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Link River Dam, East Side P-2082


General information

Waterway  Klamath River
 Link River
Current status   Active license 
Type of facility Conventional Hydro
Type of permit FERC License

FERC information

FERC docket # P-2082
FERC project name Klamath
Other projects with this FERC number
Permit issued 1/23/54
Permit expiration 2/24/06

Ownership and operation

Owner PacifiCorp
Owner type Investor-Owned Utility
Year first online (conventional hydro) 1924
Transmission or distribution system owner PacifiCorp

Power and generating capacity

Number of units 1
Total capacity from hydraulic turbine-generator units within each plant 3.2 MW
Average annual net hydropower generation 5,056.8 MWH

In 1921 PacifiCorp’s predecessor, the California Oregon Power Company blasted channels through a rock formation at the outlet of Upper Klamath Lake and constructed Link River Dam to control lake levels, supply water to the Klamath Irrigation Project, and produce hydropower.

Link River Dam and the associated East Side (3.2 MW) and West Side (0.6 MW) powerhouses are the most upstream developments of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project, located near RM 254 within the city limits of Klamath Falls, Oregon. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) owns the Link River dam and PacifiCorp operates it under USBR’s directive. Therefore the dam is not considered part of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project. PacifiCorp’s predecessor, the California Oregon Power Company, struck a deal with the Bureau: the power company could operate the dam to generate hydroelectric power, and Klamath Reclamation Project irrigators would get a reduced power rate of less than 1 cent per kilowatt-hour. That deal expired in 2006.

PacifiCorp plans to remove the East Side and West Side hydropower developments from service but Link Dam would remain in place as a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) facility to control lake levels and provide water for irrigation.

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