Electron Hydroelectric Project
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hydroelectric power |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Headquarters | Pierce County, Washington , United States |
Area served | Puyallup River area, Washington |
Key people | Thom Fischer (COO) |
| Products | Electricity |
Number of employees | 20 |
The Electron Hydroelectric Project, initially known as the Puyallup Project, is a hydroelectric facility managed by Electron Hydro LLC, located on the Puyallup River within Pierce County, Washington. It produces electricity and employs roughly 20 full-time personnel.
Location
Positioned alongside the Puyallup River near Kapowsin in Pierce County, the facility is situated about southeast of Tacoma and southeast of Seattle, nestled in the western slopes of Mount Rainier.
Technology
Established in 1904, this project diverts river water behind the Electron Diversion Dam, directing it to the powerhouse through a wooden flume that follows the hillside terrain. The flume features a cross-sectional area and delivers up to per second to the turbines. Construction spanned approximately 14 months, maintaining an even gradient of seven feet drop per mile.
A maintenance railway runs atop the flume and is often referred to as "the crookedest railway in the world," a title also claimed by other locations. This flume and its accompanying railway underwent reconstruction during the 1940s and again in 1985, utilizing over 12,000 steel frames spaced roughly apart and supported by more than 6,000 bents. The flume’s lining comprises 5.5 million board feet of fir wood; currently, Electron Hydro LLC is replacing this with Alaska yellow cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis), potentially treated with Polyurea. This structure is believed to be the largest wooden flume still operational for hydroelectric power generation in the United States.
Fish passage facilities
To support upstream migration of spawning adult salmon and rainbow trout, a concrete fish ladder is positioned adjacent to the wooden diversion dam opposite the flume intake. Juvenile fish that enter the wooden flume downstream are captured alive and relocated back to the Puyallup River through a trap-and-haul system situated in the forebay of the storage reservoir.
Incidents
On July 29, 2020, Electron Hydro—owner and operator of the dam—experienced an industrial mishap that released crumb rubber debris into the Puyallup River. Artificial turf used within a cofferdam detached from its HDPE liner, resulting in material entering the river. The company responded swiftly to manage the spill.
In May 2023, Pierce County Superior Court approved a $1 million settlement resolving a criminal case related to the 2020 rubber spill during construction activities at the aging wooden dam. Electron Hydro was penalized financially for discharging toxic tire rubber fragments—discovered up to downriver—without authorization while lining a water-diversion channel. COO Thom Fischer admitted guilt to a gross criminal misdemeanor charge and received a suspended sentence. The settlement mandated $745,000 in restitution to Puyallup Tribal Fisheries and $255,000 in fines payable to Pierce County. Additionally, in 2021, the state Department of Ecology imposed a $501,000 fine on Electron Hydro for pollution violations affecting the river.
In 2020, Electron Hydro installed a rock barrier intended for removal by 2021; however, a court order issued in February 2024 required removal of its central section during summer months. The decision cited detrimental impacts on steelhead trout, Chinook salmon, and bull trout species protected under the Endangered Species Act.
External links
- Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state)
- Hydroelectric power companies of the United States
- Puyallup, Washington
- Light rail in Washington (state)
- Energy infrastructure completed in 1904
- 1904 establishments in Washington (state)
- Hydroelectric power plants in Washington (state)
- Puget Sound Energy
- Puyallup River