We also are connected to the City of Vancouver's water system as a backup. Water cycled through the plant will be used to enhance nearby wetland areas and also to water lawns and landscaping at the nearby Vancouver Lake and Frenchman's Bar parks. Water not used for these purposes is discharged directly into the Columbia River. City of Vancouver wastewater lines also are available if needed. The River Road Generating Plant burns natural gas to produce electricity.
Natural gas is one of the cleanest and abundant fuels available.
Gas is transported to the plant through a one-mile extension from a major line owned by Northwest Pipeline Company. We currently are purchasing gas on short-term contracts, as we wait for the market to ride out historic high prices. The plant is capable of producing about 2.1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year. It generally runs at full capacity. The plant is usually shut down for maintenance work once a year.