INDEX, Wash. (AP) — The Snohomish County Public Utility District is looking to the Skykomish River for a hydroelectric project near Index that could generate enough power for 10,000 homes.
The utility is exploring whether to build an inflatable weir — 55 feet long that could be raised as high as 8 feet or lowered to the riverbed, depending on the river flow.
General Manager Steve Klein says it fits the utility’s goal of keeping power sources local and renewable.
The Seattle Times reports (http://is.gd/4udHiB) damming the Skykomish is considered sacrilegious by river rafters and others who want to preserve the free-flowing river as wilderness.
