OCR Text |
Show River, aside from the Cumberland and Tennessee, amounts to about 22 billion kilowatt-hours average annual generation. About half of this power is to be found on the main stem of the Ohio in con- junction with the navigation dams. The other half would be located on tributary rivers at multi- ple-purpose reservoirs and downstream therefrom. The characteristics of power development are related to and are determined, in part, by the operation of reservoirs for other water uses which benefit from stream-flow regulation. During periods of normal or high flows when reservoirs are being refilled, main stem power plants will operate at high load factors with tributary power plants sup- plying the peak of the load. In flood periods when main river plants are deficient because of reduced power heads, reservoirs will be operated to reduce flood peaks; however, timely coordinated operation of tributary reservoirs will serve to offset deficiences in power production at main river plants. The res- ervoirs will provide dependable river flows in low flow summer and fall months and make possible a dependable power output from the entire system of tributary and main stem power plants. It is de- sirable, therefore, that the fullest possible integra- tion of tributary and main stem developments be achieved. The forecasting and regulation of river flows and the operation of multiple-purpose projects should be arranged on a basin-wide basis. Because of the comparatively limited amount of hydroelectric power potentially available in the basin as compared with the large present and antici- pated regional power demands, the chief reliance must be placed on steam-electric plants to supply these load requirements. If in the next 20 year the total hydroelectric potential of the watershed is developed, it will supply only about one-quarter of the power demand in the area north of the Ten- nessee Valley Authority system and extending to the Great Lakes. The logical place of hydroelectric power in tlie regional power supply, and that pro- viding the greatest benefits, is in coordination with steam power, with distribution to markets through large integrated power systems. Because of the predominance of steam-electric power and the com- plementary use of hydroelectric capacity, the generation, transmission, and dispatching of power should be a. coordinated operation into which the hydroelectric projects, whether publicly or pri- vately operated, would be tied in with steam gen- eration plants which are now largely privately owned. Conclusions Full economic development and integration of the hydroelectric power resources of the Ohio River Basin should be achieved. As hydroelectric power is developed in the Ohio River Basin it should be integrated into the existing and future power sys- tems in order to achieve its greatest value. 5. Relation of Hydroelectric Power to Other Water Uses The Problem Integration of power development with naviga- tion and other water uses in the Ohio Basin. The Situation Studies indicate that a large part of the hydro- electric power to be developed in the future in the Ohio River Basin will be undertaken in connection with the construction of multiple-purpose reservoirs and the improvement and extension of navigable waterways. In planning reservoirs for flood con- trol and allied purposes and facilities for navigation, therefore, power should be coordinated with other functions of water development to the fullest pos- sible extent. Realization of the ultimate power potentialities may require adaptations and proj- ect modifications which, in certain cases, may pro- vide added benefits for the other purposes of development. The present navigation system on the main stem of the Ohio River consists of 46 locks and dams which provide a minimum navigable depth of 9 feet between Pittsburgh and the mouth of the river. Most of these structures are of the movable type, providing low lock-lifts during periods of low flow and permitting boats to pass without lockage during median or high flow periods. Under the present program for replacement of outworn or obsolescent structures, new locks and dams have been con- structed in recent years on the reach below Pitts- burgh and in the reach between Parkersburg and Huntington. Further replacements have been au- thorized or contemplated which would ultimately provide an essentially new system. The new locks and dams would combine the lifts of two or more existing structures so that ultimately the total num- ber of lifts would be reduced to about 22, or less than one-half of that now provided. Another fea- ture of the navigation plan is the adoption of non- 674 |