Hydropower is using water to power machinery or make electricity. Water constantly moves through a vast global cycle, evaporating from lakes and oceans, forming clouds, precipitating as rain or snow, then flowing back down to the ocean. The energy of this water cycle, which is driven by the sun, can be tapped to produce electricity or for mechanical tasks like grinding grain. Hydropower uses a fuel—water—that is not reduced or used up in the process. Because the water cycle is an endless, constantly recharging system, hydropower is considered a renewable energy.
When flowing water is captured and turned into electricity, it is called hydroelectric power or hydropower. There are several types of hydroelectric facilities; they are all powered by the kinetic energy of flowing water as it moves downstream. Turbines and generators convert the energy into electricity, which is then fed into the electrical grid to be used in homes, businesses, and by industry.
Washington Water Power built its first hydroelectric generating facility on Monroe Street in 1890, and has been producing power from this location ever since. Located at the heart of downtown Spokane, the dam was instrumental in providing electric lighting for Spokane's streets and businesses as opposed to lighting via candles and oil lamps. The dam was rebuilt just before the 1974 World's Fair, and a new underground powerhouse was added in 1992, replacing the vintage 1900-era turbines and generators with a modern generating unit that produced twice the electrical power using the same amount of water flow. WWP also donated 5 acres for expos that later became part of the Spokane Riverfront development.
The 2017 Spokane Geocache Tour brings you Sustainability of Spokane. This Geocache Tour will send geocachers on a trip through the Spokane region, finding caches in areas where Spokane residents utilize natural resources and give back to the environment. You will visit locations featuring water conservation, farming, waste treatment, forestry, and of course dam, solar and wind energy.
- All caches begin with the series name SOS: followed by a location specific name so they are easy to search. We also made a SOS Bookmark of the caches.
- Be sure to visit SpokaneGeoTour.com for more infomation on current tours and a map view of all caches in this series.
The Sustainability of Spokane Geocache Tour is sponsored by Cache Advance, and by donation from local cachers. We hope you enjoy the tour!
