San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative helped flip the switch this summer on its newest hydropower production facility.
The $1.3 million Humphreys small hydro plant is a 310-kilowatt facility located on the Wagon Wheel Ranch in rural Creede, about 50 miles west of Monte Vista. Ranch owner and project leader Ruth Brown thanked many in attendance at a July ribbon-cutting who had been involved in the project. These included Terryl Jensen, manager of system operations for San Luis Valley REC, which is headquartered in Monte Vista.
“Building the project took about two years from start to finish. It’s been really rewarding — it’s the right thing to be doing,” Jensen said. “Our members like the idea of renewables but they are concerned with keeping their rates affordable, so it’s been a win-win for us,” Jensen said.
Renewable hydropower has a long history on the Humphreys’ ranch. Brown noted that her great-grandfather, A.E. Humphreys, built the first concrete arch dam on the place in 1923. The electricity generated was used to power the ranch. Another family member added a 42-kilowatt generator on the Roaring Fork about a decade ago and continued to the power the ranch with hydroelectricity.
Now, the dams will generate electricity for the state’s electric grid. That power will be brought onto the grid through SLVREC and transmitted by its power supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission.