Re: "CBH: Huge hydropower project now far more likely here" Nov. 20, 2019

This looks like somebody’s off-the-wall dream. We are in an earthquake zone, and I, for one, don’t want any 30-foot water tunnels under me. Also, the tunnels shown are only from North Dam to the Grand Coulee city limits, which is the simple part. Where are the details thru Grand Coulee? Or on the Lake Roosevelt side? Not much room there for a two-machine powerplant, unless you put it in Poop Lagoon. The Banks Lake discharge works shown look like they’ll discharge directly in to Coulee Playland.  Anyone who’s boated on Banks Lake knows about the turbulence and dangerous currents at the canal discharge from the existing Bureau pumps. Guess what’s going to happen at the beach and docks at Coulee Playland when this new plant is pumping water in to Banks Lake? Something else not addressed here is that North Dam is an earth fill dam. I suspect the water currents from two 200,000-300,000 hp pumps is going to create a serious erosion problem at North Dam. 

This project is not a good idea.

Ken McDowell