A century ago, Tacoma Power
(Wash.) began generating power at the LaGrande Powerhouse – its first
hydroelectric facility. The media and the community are invited to
celebrate 100 years of green, renewable power at the Nisqually River
Project from 1 to 3 p.m. on August 10.
Community members who
attend the event will be entered in a drawing for a tour of the
100-year-old powerhouse, where the original turbines still generate
power today. The media can arrange for tours in advance. The event will
also feature interactive displays, facility tours, and food.
Tacoma
finished the LaGrande Powerhouse in 1912, amidst controversy. The city
wanted independence from the private companies that supplied power to
Tacoma. Stone & Webster, the Boston company that provided service,
raised its rates and shut off power to the city’s water pumps prior to
the completion of the project.
Tacoma voters approved (with a 75 percent approval rate) a $2.3 million bond measure in 1909 to build the LaGrande Powerhouse.
Tacoma
Power began construction in 1910, and completed it in 1912. The Tacoma
Timesreported in June 1915 that the project had already earned more than
$1.25 million.
Although modified, the original turbines in the LaGrande Powerhouse still operate today.
