Currents Digital Currents September/October 2017 | Page 9

THE WAY IT WAS
Damming for the First Hydropower
The 1917 Eleanor Dam, Hetch Hetchy’s first, provided hydroelectricity for the
construction of the O’Shaughnessy Dam and the drinking water aqueduct that
would follow. It turned a shallow glacial lake into a major reservoir with enough
water to generate continuous power. Lake Eleanor releases poured down Eleanor
Creek, on into Cherry Creek and then through a system of flumes and canals to
our first small powerhouse—called Early Intake—about 12 miles downstream from
the O’Shaughnessy Dam site. The new flow also enabled lighting for nighttime
construction—an innovation at the time.
9 currents | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
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