Ubits July / August 2022
Tacoma Water’s new EV chargers
$220 million secured for downstream fish passage at Howard Hanson Dam The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will receive $220 million to complete the design and begin construction of its downstream fish passage at the Howard Hanson Dam on the Green River, our community’s primary source of drinking water. Howard Hanson Dam is a multi-purpose project operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. The funding for the downstream fish passage project represents one of the largest allocations to an Army Corps of Engineers project under the federal bipartisan infrastructure law. Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) was the local sponsor of the funding effort.
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TPU appreciates the broad bipartisan and regional support for a critical water supply and salmon restoration project that directly benefits our customers,” said Director Jackie Flowers. “We are grateful for the support of the delegation and our tribal partners in helping us reach this important milestone. Downstream fish passage at Howard Hanson Dam is one of the most immediate and effective ways to positively impact salmon and orca populations in our region, and we look forward to working with our congressional delegation and the Army Corps on its construction.”
The downstream fish passage at the Howard Hanson Dam will help ensure additional drinking water storage to meet future regional needs while reopening tens of miles of important salmon and steelhead habitat that will increase salmon production, which is critical for the recovery of Southern Resident orca whales. The State of Washington’s Lead Entity for salmon recovery in the Green and Duwamish rivers believes that completing the downstream fish passage will approximately double the available habitat for endangered salmon and steelhead in the Green-Duwamish watershed and could be the largest single opportunity to increase salmon production in the Puget Sound. In addition to the positive impacts on regional salmon populations, the funding will increase municipal and industrial drinking water supply for TPU and maintain dam performance to support the primary drinking water needs for Tacoma Water customers.
In this issue
Page 2
Tacoma Water installs new EV chargers
Page 6
2021 Service Awards honorees
Page 8
Tacoma Power joins Western Energy Imbalance Market