Wallowa County, a remote and rural community in Northeast Oregon, has a long history of independent power production. As early as 1900, micro hydropower plants were installed in each of the county’s four largest towns. The people relied solely on these small hydro plants until 1953, when a strange series of events led to Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) becoming the primary provider in the area.
Vern and Marti Spaur, two Wallowa County residents, are continuing a tradition of independence. Vern and Marti first moved to Wallowa County in the 80s to start a sheep ranch in the lower valley. Over the years, they have also raised cattle and grown thousands of tons of hay. They now operate a mechanic shop that employs 7 people. What’s unique about Vern and Marti, is that they pay exactly $0 a month on electricity for their entire 160-acre property with multiple homes and a business. With an irrigation ditch running downhill through the ranch, the Spaur’s property is the perfect site for a micro hydropower plant. Over the years, Vern and Marti worked with Wallowa Resources, Energy Trust of Oregon, and USDA Rural Energy for America Program to install two micro hydro projects, offsetting a power bill that can run $1,000 a month, and donating all their extra generated energy to charity. In this episode, we explore renewable energy on a smaller scale. What does it actually take to install and operate a micro hydropower plant, and how does micro hydro impact our environment and community?