News Release Archive

Reclamation Transfers Ownership of the Strawberry Valley Project Power Distribution System

Media Contact: Lee Traynham, 801-379-1196, ltraynham@usbr.gov
Wayne Pullan, 801-369-2778, wpullan@usbr.gov

For Release: December 04, 2014

Salt Lake City, Utah - The Bureau of Reclamation today transferred ownership of the Strawberry Valley Project Power Distribution System to the South Utah Valley Electric Service District. The transfer was made under provisions of the South Utah Valley Electric Conveyance Act. The Strawberry Valley Project Power Distribution System consists of 12.5 kilovolt power lines that convey electricity from system substations to end users in south Utah County.

The Department of the Interior supports the transfer of facilities in cases where such projects create benefits for the new owner, other stakeholders and the general public. In an effort to facilitate the project, the District proposed legislation that would allow for the transfer of the Distribution System. The South Utah Valley Electric Conveyance Act was signed into law on July 18, 2013. The law authorizes transfer of the Power Distribution System to the District, and provides the District with access to associated federal lands for operations and maintenance purposes.

The Strawberry Valley Project comprises about 45,000 irrigable acres in south Utah County. The project provided the first large-scale transmountain diversion from the Colorado River Basin to the Bonneville Basin. It also was one of the earliest Reclamation projects to develop hydroelectric energy. The Strawberry Valley Project Power System had three components; a generation system consisting of power plants; a transmission system consisting of 46.0 kilovolt lines connecting the power plants to substations; and a distribution system that consists of 12.5 kilovolt lines from substations to end users. The Strawberry Valley Project Power System supplies electricity to users in Payson, Salem, Spanish Fork, Springville, and adjacent Utah County areas.

For more information, please contact Provo Area Office Manager Wayne Pullan at 801-369-2778 or Provo Area Office Public Affairs Specialist Lee Traynham at 801-379-1196.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.