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Tetra Tech is performing multidisciplinary studies for relicensing the 1,070-megawatt Boundary Dam in eastern Washington, one of the largest conventional hydropower projects in the United States. The project is a vital component of Seattle’s power generation system, supplying energy that fulfills more than 31 percent of the city’s electrical power needs.

Working closely with our client, Seattle City Light, Tetra Tech is conducting 26 technical studies and developing environmental protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures to address the impacts of operating under a new license. The dam is situated along the Pend Oreille River, and Tetra Tech had to address logistical issues to access the remote sampling locations.

Hydropower is a clean, renewable resource. Most states are including hydropower as part of their state-mandated renewable energy goals of 10 to 25 percent of energy production, leading utilities and developers to reexamine potential hydropower sites throughout the United States.

The Boundary Dam is one of more than 2,000 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-licensed projects, each requiring relicensing every 30 to 50 years. Through the relicensing process, existing dams are being brought up to today’s environmental standards. In cases where the environmental effects outweigh benefits, dams are being recommended for removal.

Tetra Tech has the engineering, scientific, and construction resources to conduct all studies necessary for hydropower licensing and to implement the protection, mitigation, and enhancement conditions required by the new licenses.

Highlights:

• The Boundary Dam produces about 3,786,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, helping to provide Seattle with some of the lowest electricity rates in the United States for a city of its size.
• Clean energy produced by the Boundary Dam prevents the annual emission of approximately 2 million tons of carbon dioxide, 2,400 tons of nitrogen oxide (which causes smog), and more than 3,200 tons of sulfur dioxide (which causes acid rain)—equivalent to taking about 400,000 cars off the road.

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