An Anchorage engineer thinks there’s a way to satisfy all parties competing for water in Eklutna Lake

People wade and lounge on Eklutna Lake successful Chugach State Park connected Aug. 4, 2024. (Jeremy Hsieh/Alaska Public Media)

For nan past century, generating energy has been nan de facto privilege for nan h2o that collects successful Eklutna Lake. Successive dams built for hydropower trim salmon disconnected from their spawning grounds successful miles of Eklutna River, nan reservoir and its tributaries.

Now, parties pinch competing stakes successful that h2o are respective years into a process to rebalance really it’s shared. One awesome extremity of that process is to reside nan wounded nan Eklutna Hydroelectric Power Project inflicted connected fish. 

“The problem really is there’s not capable h2o successful Eklutna Lake, arsenic is, to meet each nan needs,” said Mark Corsentino, an technologist who’s led nan Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility since 2019. 

As nan h2o inferior boss, Corsentino participated successful nan activity that led up to nan electrical utilities’ proposal past year to divert astir 10% of nan h2o disposable distant from electrical procreation to partially reconstruct nan river, a scheme that does protect nan h2o utility’s interest. But it never won over nan Anchorage Assembly, nan Native Village of Eklutna aliases biology and fisheries interests. Previous Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson did support it, but nan existent Mayor Suzanne LaFrance does not. 

Soon aft taking agency successful July, LaFrance appointed and the Assembly confirmed an further domiciled for Corsentino arsenic head of the metropolis enterprise that holds a 53% liking successful nan Eklutna project. Instead of focusing connected protecting nan h2o utility, he said he started looking astatine nan wide problem.  

And now, he thinks everyone overlooked comparatively humble engineering solutions that could fulfill each parties competing for nan h2o that collects successful Eklutna Lake – but much clip is needed to measure them.  

The transportation comes arsenic Gov. Mike Dunleavy prepares to perceive ineligible arguments connected Monday to thief him determine really to equilibrium demands for hydroelectric powerfulness procreation that serves Anchorage and adjacent Railbelt communities, astir 90% of nan city’s drinking water, and restoration of food residence that nan Native colony utilized to trust on. 

Right now, erstwhile h2o people collects successful Eklutna Lake, it’s for illustration charging a elephantine hydroelectric battery. Corsentino says nan reservoir could besides beryllium unnaturally recharged. 

“The measurement I spot this is that if conscionable for 3 months of nan year, you pump up into that lake, you’ll meet everyone’s needs and past some,” Corsentino told Anchorage Assembly and Eklutna Tribal Council members last month. 

With new, reversible hydropower turbines, he said h2o could beryllium pushed uphill, backmost into nan reservoir done nan aforesaid passageway nan electrical utilities usage to tie h2o from now. 

“It’s a modified, pumped retention hydro conception pinch upwind and star astatine Eklutna Lake pinch stream restoration and food passage,” he said. 

It’s a mouthful. But essentially, what that intends is adding much h2o to nan system, capable for food to aquatics backmost up to nan reservoir without sacrificing powerfulness generation. 

The upwind and star constituent is astir wherever nan energy would travel from to pump nan h2o uphill. These forms of renewable power procreation are finicky; nan utilities can’t power erstwhile nan upwind blows aliases nan sun shines. And nan champion times for upwind and star often don’t statement up pinch erstwhile nan energy is really needed. 

Connecting upwind and star to the pump strategy Corsentino has successful mind would fundamentally fto nan utilities shop excess powerfulness successful nan lake, for erstwhile it is needed. 

Renewable power advocates sounded a type of this in 2020. At nan time, Gov. Dunleavy was a fan. He moreover tried to woo nan billionaire Warren Buffett to invest. 

That type was measurement bigger successful standard – estimated to costs $5 billion.  

“And everybody said ‘Forget it, it’s excessively much,’” Corsentino said. “What I’m saying is, usage nan existing infrastructure that’s there. You tin do nan aforesaid point astatine a overmuch smaller value tag and still supply everything everyone wants.”

While nan conception isn’t wholly new, it besides wasn’t analyzed successful the years of study that person led up to nan determination making shape nan politician is successful now complete nan early of Eklutna Lake and Eklutna River.

“And what we’re asking for,” Corsentino said, “is springiness america immoderate clip arsenic portion of this pre-implementation period, to further vet this process, to spot if it really tin lick each of these issues.” 

Under the 1991 agreement that group up this rebalancing process, nan politician has an Oct. 2 deadline to make a decision. Mayor LaFrance, the Anchorage Assembly and nan Native Village of Eklutna Tribal Council want 2 much years to activity things out.

Julie Hasquet, a spokesperson for Chugach Electric Association said her inferior and nan Matanuska Electric Association still want nan politician to spell pinch their proposal, to springiness up immoderate h2o from powerfulness procreation to partially reconstruct nan river.

“We are still very assured successful nan results of our process,” she said. “We consciousness for illustration it was thorough, it was inclusive, it was a nationalist process, and we decidedly still guidelines down that programme that is now successful beforehand of nan governor.” 

There are a batch of unresolved ineligible issues astir who has what authority successful this process. Gov. Dunleavy precocious requested briefs and invited each of nan parties to an in-person gathering connected Monday for them to coming their ineligible arguments.