What does it take to power a village of 70 people? In Chignik Lagoon, the answer to that question has dramatically changed -- from burning diesel to flowing stream -- but the man behind the system remains the same.
"I'm the garbage man, the guy that operates the sewer system, and also the fuel man … and I do basic maintenance on all the village equipment," explains Larry McCormick matter-of-factly.
To top his list of duties, McCormick is also the power man. A certified diesel power plant operator, he has for years planned his schedule around three-times-daily visits to the diesel plant. Now, along with two other operators, McCormick is learning the ins and outs of the new run-of-the-river hydroelectric system on Packer Creek.
Though the $5 million hydro project has been operational since this spring, the village held a ceremony on Aug. 27 to officially celebrate the shift from diesel.
The festivities began with a potluck and presentation at the school. Then the two dozen attendees drove or walked the quarter-mile to the new 480-square-foot hydro powerhouse. There, photos were taken and the ribbon was cut with the gentle humming of the water turbine in the background.
McCormick says the turbine's whirring is nothing compared to the roar of the diesel generators.
"You wouldn't hear me if we were in the diesel plant right now," he says, in what teachers would call his indoor voice. "I'd have to be hollering and you'd have to wear ear plugs. This is really quiet."
The temperature-controlled building houses the relatively simple system where water enters the building in one pipe and splits into two branches before entering the turbine to generate electricity. In each branch of pipe, valves called "spears" automatically adjust to let more or less water through, depending on the fluctuating energy demands of the village.
McCormick monitors the operations from a tiny laptop computer in the powerhouse. Rows of tiny numbers show the volume and pressure of water in the pipe, the amount of electricity being produced and used, and the total lifetime of the system.
"It's been running for 4,083 hours," notes McCormick. "Still brand-new."
Old tech, new savings
This is not the first time Chignik Lagoon has used hydroelectric power on its steeply flowing Packer Creek. A working hydro project once powered a long-gone cannery in the community.
For decades now, diesel fuel arriving via barge has provided the vast majority of the town's heating and electricity.
In 1984, the first feasibility study began for the modern hydro project. It noted a local price per gallon for diesel fuel of $1.25. Thirty years later, that price has risen to $4.85 per gallon.
Michelle Anderson, grants administrator for the village council and manager of the hydroelectric project, says hydro is already saving the village about $500 a day in diesel costs. It doesn't entirely eliminate the need for diesel, but the hydro's 167-kilowatt capacity is currently providing for 94 percent of the village's energy needs.
"The community will see a reduction in electrical rates in the coming months," said Anderson, "which in the long run may motivate new business and stimulate the local economy." She hopes those cost savings will have a trailing effect, leading to new jobs that will keep families in the community and kids in the school.
In addition to the economic benefits of the project, Anderson notes that reducing dependence on diesel cuts the chances of an accident or spill.
"I could go on for a long time as far as the benefits this project has," said Anderson in her presentation to the community.
Downsides to the project are hard to name. Packer Creek is not a natal stream for salmon, but Anderson says it is home to a handful of Dolly Varden, so the village will work with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to monitor the fish.
Road to somewhere
At about a mile long, the new gravel road leading to the Packer Creek dam nearly doubles the total amount of road in Chignik Lagoon.
Following Packer Creek, the access road climbs to lush views of the lagoon and surrounding bluffs. Though it's a pleasant site now, the construction was not a simple process.
Lake and Peninsula Borough Manager Nathan Hill says the workers ran into complications due to the glacial till that underlies some of the road.
"The construction of the road proved to be a little more difficult than originally anticipated," said Hill. "But Orion West Construction did a bang-up job and were able to overcome those challenges."
Overall, says Hill, the project went smoothly due to the cooperation of the state and the initiative of the village.
"We're inspired by communities like that who take the bull by the horns and take responsibility for their energy needs," said Hill. "It's people at the local level taking charge and taking ownership of their future."
Energy with ease
At the top of the hill, McCormick gives a tour of the 9-foot dam to Lake and Peninsula Borough Mayor Glen Alsworth and Assembly member Myra Olsen.
Wielding a long-handled brush, he shows them how he clears debris off a fine metal screen that allows water to spill down into a container called the "headbox" and then into the pipeline.
"When it first came online in March, the screens were freezing," explains McCormick. "We had to bust ice off the screen. But that only happened one time."
Soon, leaves will start falling in earnest, clogging the fine screen more quickly. The year ahead will be a learning experience as McCormick and the two other operators become familiar with the quirks and seasonal challenges of the hydro system. Even so, he expects it will be easier to manage than the diesel plant.
"You have to change the oil in the diesel engine every 250 hours of running," explained McCormick. "That creates a lot of waste oil over time, because it takes five gallons of oil to change the engine." Those gallons of used oil then have to be transported to a dump site and burned up -- more dirty work.
The hydroelectric system, on the other hand, requires just a dab of grease on the bearings every 1,000 hours.
McCormick says he hasn't yet been able to adjust to the lower maintenance lifestyle. "I still come up here three times a day. Just because it's a habit," he admits.
Back in the school at the community potluck, 10th grade student Anna Jones read a poem by her classmate Isabelle Erickson, voicing the hopes of a community no longer dependent on diesel:
"I can finally hear the birds, they're singing in the sky, the noise, that noise is gone.
Oh, I can already smell a change, the air is fresh and clean, the clouds, those black clouds are gone.
I can see a time ahead, with more space for a town to grow. The days, those cramped days are gone."
For Larry McCormick, the days of handling messy diesel oil are nearly gone, too.
"I've noticed that I do have more time on my hands," says McCormick. "You don't have to worry about as many things going wrong [with hydro]. So far it's been going really good."
This story first appeared in The Bristol Bay Times/Dutch Harbor Fisherman and is republished here with permission.