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20 June 2005 - Arizona's first commercial hydroelectric power plants have ceased operation after a campaign to restore full water flow to Fossil Creek for the first time in nearly a century.
The Childs and Irving power plants were considered an engineering and logistical marvel when constructed almost 100 years ago. As such, the owner, APS, is to preserve the powerhouse and icehouse buildings at the Childs site for historical benefit in its $13m dismantling project.
Jack Davis, APS president and CEO, said: "We carefully reviewed our business goals and determined that closing the power plants, returning the stream to its full flow and recreating the natural condition of this beautiful area was simply the right decision."
In 1999, with guidance from Native American tribes, conservation groups and academia, APS decided to decommission the Childs and Irving plants at a cost of around $13m plus loss of revenues from generation. APS expect to return the site to the US Forest Service by the end of 2009.
Bruce Ellis, chief environmental resources management division, Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix area office, said: "The voluntary decommissioning by APS of its hydro facilities at Fossil Creek, and the successful inter-agency collaboration toward biological restoration, now serve as a project to emulate in the future."
Returning Fossil Creek to its full flow yields an additional 14 miles of wetland ecosystem.
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