Following is a press release from Idaho Power.
Weed management on the dam and equipment replacement at the power plant’s switchyard will require closing the road over the dam for several days in May.
OXBOW, Oregon, May 9, 2018 — The road over Hells Canyon Dam will be closed on May 14 and again May 22–24 to allow for maintenance work. Travelers should plan to cross before or after work hours. Traffic will be allowed to cross during one hour on days with a full-day closure.
The work requires having a crane on top of the dam, which will block traffic.
On May 14, the road will close from 7 a.m.–12 p.m. while workers spray weeds on the dam’s face. If the morning is windy, the work may need to be performed on May 15.
All Idaho Power operations in Hells Canyon are conducted on Mountain Time.
The following week, crews will be replacing equipment at the switchyard below the dam. The road will be closed May 22–24 from 7 a.m.–5 p.m., with a one-hour opening from 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Located 21 miles downstream of Oxbow Dam, Idaho Power’s Hells Canyon Dam began generating electricity in 1967 and has a nameplate generating capacity of 391,500 kilowatts.
About Idaho Power
Idaho Power, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, and locally operated since 1916, is an electric utility that employs more than 2,000 people who serve approximately 547,000 customers throughout a 24,000-square-mile area in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. With 17 low-cost hydroelectric projects as the core of its diverse generation portfolio, Idaho Power’s residential, business and agricultural customers pay among the nation’s lowest rates for electricity. IDACORP Inc. (NYSE: IDA), Idaho Power’s independent publicly traded parent company, is also headquartered in Boise, Idaho. To learn more, visit idahopower.com or idacorpinc.com.
Contact: Brad Bowlin, Communication Specialist
Idaho Power
208-388-2803 and bbowlin@idahopower.com
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