Page 14 - 2020 January E-issue

Engineering Improvements

to RG&E's Station 26

by Donald Lucas

Rochester Gas & Electric’s (RG&E) Station 26 was constructed in 1952 and is located on Court Street At LaBella Associates, our job
in Rochester, New York. This station utilizes a Kaplan style turbine generator to generate 3 Mega- is to create structures, plans,
Watts of energy from the Genesee River. The adjacent Court Street Dam is owned and operated ideas, results. Our wheelhouse
by the New York State Canal Corporation (NYSCC) and serves to control the water depth in the Erie is broad, with four key service
Canal. A close relationship between RG&E and NYSCC allows both to benefit from the dam and the offerings: buildings, energy,
water it controls. infrastructure, and environmental.
Our staff of over 800 team
LaBella was recently involved in several projects at Station 26 including the restoration of a diversion members is spread across 22
wall, installation of an access hatch, and two isolation gates. These projects allow the unit to maintain office locations.
its generation capacity and provide safe access for future maintenance. Throughout these projects,
LaBella’s Hydropower Engineering Group led the effort to complete engineering, project management
assistance, and permitting activities.

Both the diversion wall restoration and plant access improvements were part of a capital improvement portfolio that LaBella’s Hydropower
Engineering Group works with RG&E to manage and complete as part of our project management services. RG&E Hydro Operators and
Engineers identify needed improvements through regular inspection and changes in Federal Regulatory policy. Once identified, these projects
are placed into a long-term plan and assigned to a Project Manager.
In 2017, LaBella’s Don Lucas was chosen to serve as Project Manager and oversee
the completion of these two projects. LaBella staffs RG&E with several full-time
project management teams consisting of project managers, assistant project
managers, schedulers, cost analysts, and procurement specialists as a direct
extension of RG&E’s work force. As a consultant, LaBella provides various design
services for both the client and the construction contractor as well as manages the
detailed permitting and agency coordination effort on behalf of the client.
The generation capacity of the Station 26 Hydropower Generator is reliant on the
available head that is maintained by the Court Street Dam. The unit’s intake is
upstream of the dam and the outlet of the unit is a deepened channel separated from
the Genesee Riverbed by a concrete diversion wall on the downstream side. The
original wall was constructed in 1952 and was beginning to deteriorate. During the
study and design phases, it was discovered that a wall roughly 1 foot taller would be
more effective at maintaining the necessary head and, in return, protect the unit’s
generation capacity.

RG&E also identified the need to isolate and access the draft tubes directly
downstream of the unit for regular maintenance and inspection. LaBella designed
a gantry system to allow RG&E Operations’ staff to lower stop log gates in order to
isolate and safely access the downstream side of the unit. The stop log gates will be
raised and lowered by two (2), 10-ton control-operated gantry hoists, supported by
W24 hoist beams that span across the tailrace. LaBella also designed a steel framed View of Rochester skyline from Station 26 discharge
canal.
platform to span across old bridge abutments for safe access to the gantry hoists.
Access inside the draft tube used to be difficult as stop log gates were raised and
lowered using a crane.

With a design completed, LaBella assembled a specialized team to coordinate and manage the permitting requirements for the work. Being
a hydro-generation unit, there are specific requirements that come from federal oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC). The FERC requires license holders to coordinate with local municipalities and agencies such as New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), United State Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).
14 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2020 cover article