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continue purchasing power from the RCPA for off-peak periods, as well as for emergency needs.
<br /> The newspaper observed that by having the added production capacity, "the Municipal Utilities
<br /> will remain in a favorable bargaining position for wholesale power."Associated Consultants was
<br /> retained to plan the building expansion. The Paul A. Laurence Company, a Minneapolis
<br /> contractor, worked on the necessary modifications to the utility building. H. R. Nichols of Saint
<br /> Paul installed piping for the new engine. The Electric Motor Service Company of Minneapolis
<br /> supplied the generator and completed the wiring. The project was financed by the sale of
<br /> $490,000 of revenue bonds.70
<br /> In addition to the pressures of keeping up with demand, the Utility faced challenges from Mother
<br /> Nature. In the winter, snow and sleet dragged down lines. Ice on the dam's flashboards had to be
<br /> removed to deter structural damage. Spring floods tormented both the dam and power lines. One
<br /> of the worst floods came in 1965. Ice flows broke off sections of the dam's flashboards, and an
<br /> uprooted tree snapped gate winches. Some power lines, including the feeder line to Dayton, were
<br /> down for over a week when erosion caused poles to lean and lines to break. The RCPA installed
<br /> an emergency feeder line from Anoka to serve the Dayton customers while the Elk River line
<br /> was being repaired.71
<br /> The 1965 flood again highlighted the vulnerability of Elk River's power service. In the following
<br /> May,the Utilities Commission entered into a ten-year interchange service agreement with the
<br /> RCPA, which was just beginning operation of a nuclear power plant in Elk River. The $22
<br /> million plant had been under construction by the Atomic Energy Commission since 1959.
<br /> Heralded as the way of the future,the plant was shut down in 1968 when the cooling system
<br /> developed a leak. The problem proved impossible to repair, and the reactor was demolished in
<br /> 1974.72
<br /> While the RCPA's coal-burning plant in Elk River continued in operation, the failure of the
<br /> reactor strained the area's electric generating capabilities. This was particularly problematic for
<br /> Elk River,because of conditions in its 1966 contract with the RCPA. Because it gave priority to
<br /> member cooperatives,the Association required that any interconnecting system must have
<br /> enough generating capability to fully cover their load in case the Association was unable to
<br /> provide a sufficient amount of power. The RCPA's range of operations had significantly
<br /> expanded in 1963, when it entered into a joint venture with the Northern Minnesota Power
<br /> Association. The coops formally merged as the United Power Association in 1972.73
<br /> In the meantime,the Municipal Utilities continued to upgrade services.New lights brightened
<br /> Elk River's streets. Better maintenance trucks made crew work more efficient. Always lurking in
<br /> 7°Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Minutes,March 6, 1961,July 6, 1961,and July 25, 1961;"Utilities
<br /> Plans Purchase of 2500 KW Generating Unit";Financial statements for Elk River Municipal Utilities, 1949-1969,in
<br /> files of the Elk River Municipal Utilities;and"Gas Main Construction Goes Fast,"[1961].
<br /> 71 Interviews with Evelyn Halter,Rodney Anderson,and Russell Bradway,conducted by Weber August 5, 1993;
<br /> interview with Russell Anderson,conducted by Weber on August 19, 1993;"Water,Water Everywhere," The Rural
<br /> Power Condenser,March-April 1965,9.
<br /> 72 Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Minutes, May 3, 1966;Hollenstein,Power Development in Minnesota,
<br /> 19-20;"RCP A Gets Operating Authorization," The Rural Power Condenser,March-April 1965,4-5;"Shell
<br /> Cracking at Elk River,"May 17, 1974.
<br /> 73 United Power Association, 16-17;interview with John Lundemoe,conducted by Weber,August 5, 1993.
<br /> 89
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