Prospect Hydroelectric Project, Rogue River, Oregon

The project is located in Jackson County, Oregon, on the Rogue River and on two tributaries approximately 45 miles northeast of Medford, Oregon, near the town of Prospect. Lands abutting the project include lands owned by the U.S. Forest Service, state of Oregon, Boise Cascade, PacifiCorp, and other private landowners.

Construction took place between 1911 and 1946 by the California–Oregon Power Company (Copco). Copco subsequently merged with Pacific Power and Light Company in 1961. Since then, the project has been owned and managed by PacifiCorp. It includes three concrete diversion dams, three powerhouses, and a water conveyance system of approximately 9.3 miles. The entire hydroelectric system is a run-of-the-river operation, and PacificCorp is applying to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a new 50-year license to continue operation.

The project collectively diverts up to 1,050 cubic feet per second of water from the three diversion dams. Water is transported through the water conveyance system of canals and flumes to a small (15-acre-foot) forebay. Water then is routed through powerhouses and is returned to the Rogue River approximately two miles upstream of Lost Creek Lake.

ENTRIX, Inc., has worked closely with the computer architecture group at PacifiCorp to integrate data sources from the client, which include property ownership and detailed project facilities, with data from other state and federal agencies. The map products are an integral component of the draft license application and have been designed to FERC specifications. ENTRIX staff scientists and PacifiCorp personnel have extensively used the maps for field surveys and studies. All spatial data processed or generated for the project by ENTRIX is being transferred in geodatabase format with full metadata to PacifiCorp for integration into its enterprise GIS database.