Wwp To Conduct Turbine Tours

Washington Water Power Co. will hold an open house Thursday at its gas-fired turbine facility on the Rathdrum prairie.

The open house will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and visitors are asked to enter the plant site from its east gate on Boekel Road.

Neighbors of the turbine plant complained that it was too noisy when it started up Jan. 1. After an April 5 community meeting on the noise, WWP has been modifying the exhaust stacks.

The stacks are being relined at the cost of about $400,000, and the work will be done by Aug. 1, WWP officials said.

The plant has been off-line since the beginning of spring and should remain shut down until the end of summer, officials said.

After the modifications are done, WWP will review the noise the plant makes. “The most important thing we want local residents to understand is that we are working as quickly as possible to address this concern,” said Dana Zentz, project development manager.

For more information about the open house, call 800-727-9170, ext. 4057.