2021-01-12
Deschutes Valley Water District in Oregon invests in small hydro with turbine order from Voith
- The high-efficiency turbine, which is one of Voith’s standard yet highly configurable designs, will drive a 1,500 gpm water pump
- The new turbine will help the Deschutes Valley Water District deliver water for domestic use and will eliminate the need to purchase power to drive the pumps
- The order marks another step by Voith into the growing small hydro market in North America
The new Francis unit replaced an outdated double Francis machine and will be used to drive a water pump that delivers 1,500 gallons per minute out of the aquifer controlled by DVWD and is then delivered to its domestic customers. The turbine will be operated by a digital control system, also provided by Voith, to further improve its performance.
“Combining the efficiency of the new turbine with the benefits of new digital controls will result in significant cost savings for DVWD by reducing the electricity necessary for pumping at the facility,” said Daniel Olson, Sales Manager, Voith Hydro North America.
The turbine for DVWD is just one of the small hydro projects Voith is currently working on. An additional order includes one for Lake Byllesby Dam in Minnesota. Voith’s small hydro turbine design has proven to be popular worldwide thanks to its highly configurable design that makes it easy to integrate with existing civil infrastructure.
“Our customers are finding that Voith offers a small, personal team to support these types of projects, and those teams are backed by Voith’s global resources and more than 150 years of experience in the field,” said Carl Atkinson, Director of Sales, Voith Hydro U.S. “We’ve found that our research and development for large hydro projects scales down to benefit small hydro projects, too. That’s what helps Voith stand out – proven technology.”
To learn more about Voith’s small hydro capabilities, visit
About the company
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its wide range of plants, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets for energy, oil and gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith today has more than 20,000 employees and earns 4.2 billion euros in sales. It has locations in over 60 countries and is one of Europe’s larger family-owned companies.
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The Group Division Voith Hydro is part of the Voith Group and a leading full-line supplier as well as trusted partner for equipping hydropower plants. Voith develops customized, long-term solutions and services for large and small hydro plants all over the world. Its portfolio of products and services covers the entire life cycle and all major components for large and small hydro plants, from generators, turbines, pumps and automation systems, right through to spare parts, maintenance and training services, and digital solutions for intelligent hydropower.
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