Weber River Hydropower
American Whitewater spent several years participating in the relicensing of a hydropower dam on Utah's Weber River that dewaters a stretch of whitewater known as the Scrambled Eggs run. In 2018 we reached an agreement with all parties calling for improved take-out access, as well as four pulse flow releases each year that support whitewater paddling and the river's ecology. This agreement was core to the dam owner's 2018 federal dam license application, which we supported in formal comments.
Local paddler and AW volunteer Charlie Vincent worked closely with American Whitewater staff on this project (thanks Charlie!). The potential outcomes on this project were tightly constrained by land ownership and management concerns, water rights, geography, hydrology, project economics, and a lack of reservoir storage.
A new license for the dam was issued on March 19, 2021, which includes provisions for 4 annual whitewater paddling releases, flow information, access, and fish passage.
Comments Needed to Support Weber River (UT) Releases
06/09/2020 - by Kevin Colburn
American Whitewater has worked for the past several years to successfully negotiate an agreement calling for 4 recreational releases each summer on the Scrambled Eggs reach of the Weber River, located near Ogden, Utah. This agreement was considered and supported in a recent Environmental Assessment (EA) authored by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who are accepting public comments on the EA and will then issue a new 30 to 50-year license for the dam. Hopefully that license will include our proposed recreational releases that were supported by the EA. If you have paddled this reach, personal comments in support of recreational releases and the recreational values of the river will help ensure the releases are included in the final dam license.
AW Submits Weber River Safety and Access Proposal (UT)
12/18/2019 - by Kevin Colburn
During the ongoing dam relicensing process for the Weber Hydroelectric Project, stakeholders reached an agreement for the provision of four annual whitewater boating releases. Stakeholders agreed that American Whitewater would propose a safe and legal plan for river access for consideration in response to specific concerns voiced by the Forest Service. Releases will begin following a Forest Service determination that the proposed access is appropriate for public use, and the issuance of the Federal dam license which is expected any day now. American Whitewater has spent the past several months conducting legal and safety analysis, and last week we submitted our proposal that documents that recreational releases and public use on the Weber River are legal, reasonably safe, and appropriate.
The contacts below include staff and volunteers working on this project. Make sure you are logged in if you wish to join the group.
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Associated News
Associated Rivers
Documents
Weber AW License Application Comments (12/14/2018)
American Whitewater's intervention and comments in support of the hydropower license application for the Weber River Project (UT)