Bull Run Hydro Decommissioning 

Turning a hydropower plant into a 5,000-acre conservation and public recreation area

When Portland General Electric proposed to decommission a ninety-year-old hydropower project in a scenic area close to Portland, few models existed for how to do it in an environmentally sensitive and cost-effective way. Environmental issues included protecting endangered salmon and preventing damage from the release of sediments accumulated behind the dams. Portland General Electric took the initiative to form a Decommissioning Working Group mediated by RESOLVE, composed of representatives of government agencies, businesses, and public interest groups to jointly examine the complex policy, science, and engineering issues and develop a plan for the decommissioning.

The Working Group negotiated a consensus agreement for a comprehensive approach to the decommissioning that included removal of two dams and project operations, donation of project lands, measures to protect salmon and restore habitat, transfer of water rights, and a commitment to conduct ongoing monitoring and take action based on the results. The donated lands form the heart of a scenic, five-thousand-acre conservation and public recreation area, while the water rights transfer ensured that four miles of the Little Sandy River saw water for the first time since 1912.