Reclamation powerplants range in size from the smallest at 350 kilowatts to Grand Coulee's 6.5 million kilowatts. Back to top Research and Technology T he Research and Technology Transfer Program addresses mission-related needs and emphasizes cost sharing with other groups to support research and development in water resources management, environmental protection, materials engineering, and hydroelectric power generation and transmission. Two major program accomplishments this year were developing safe passages for fish through Red Bluff Diversion Dam and improving computerized control systems for Reclamation powerplants. The Red Bluff Diversion Dam and Research Pumping Plant is situated on the Sacramento River near Red Bluff, California. The diversion dam has provided water for irrigation on the west side of the Sacramento Valley since the mid-1960s.
Preliminary results suggest that most fish pass through the facility unharmed.
Reclamation powerplants require large computer-based control systems in order to operate with a minimum number of people. Many of the existing systems at Reclamation powerplants are no longer serviceable and require replacement. The first control system, which consists of a basic set of modules, was implemented at Hoover Powerplant. Initial installation of a basic set of modules is also planned at Shasta, Folsom, and Nimbus Powerplants during 1997. Below are several examples.