Editor:
Pumped/storage hydroelectric projects, as reported in the Nov 2-5 Sun, are not a new concept. They have been proposed before, even right here in Nevada. Are they successful? Look around and find out how many are in existence today in this country. Not many, and the ones that do exist are small in nature, and in general exist only to meet a very special need.
This proposal is said to generate 800 megawatts of power, which, if possible, is a significant amount of power, and would ultimately be a great asset to Humboldt County and northern Nevada. But first things first. How much power will be required to pump the water uphill to the proposed reservoirs? I was taught years ago in agriculture engineering while attending college that the energy required to lift water is somewhat greater than the energy that can be obtained by allowing the same water to flow downhill into a hydroelectric generator. That's the basic reason that pumped/storage hydroelectric projects are seldom practical, except in very specific situations.
And what about a reservoir on the side of the Bloody Runs? The proposal calls a 250-foot high structure to contain a portion of an estimated 15,350 acre-feet of water. Even if the Bloody Run site only held 1 percent of the total, that's still over 150 acre-feet of water. Assuming the average depth of this reservoir would be half of the 250-foot structure, 125 feet, and the average width was 250 feet, that still would require a reservoir some 200 feet in length. Just might make the Bloody's a bit lop-sided!
The article says that Water Asset Management plans on spending millions on technical, engineering and legal work over a three-year period. To make this project work, it's probably going to take a lot more than just money.
We need economic development in Humboldt, and all Nevada for that matter. Maybe the folks involved with this project have found an energy secret, and if so, that would be fantastic for our economy. However, for the time being, I kind of like the Bloody's as they are, and I won't hold my breath waiting for that "miracle."
Tony Lesperance
Paradise Valley
[[In-content Ad]]
