Helena Valley Irrigation District Looking to Produce Hydropower

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Helena Valley Irrigation District is looking to retrofit its existing pump plant at Canyon Ferry Dam to produce hydropower.

The Helena Independent Record reports (http://bit.ly/1LLVUmx ) that the Bureau of Reclamation recently released an environmental assessment for the proposed hydropower project. The bureau operates the dam and owns the property adjacent to the pump plant.

The project would retrofit electrical generators to the district's existing water pumps and construct power lines to tie into existing transmission lines.

According to the environmental assessment, the project would generate about 9.4 megawatts of electricity, or enough power for about 1,600 homes a year.

The Bureau of Reclamation is accepting public comment on the environmental assessment through Nov. 13.