Hot Springs & Monterey, VA

Photo The pulling tractor of the 220-foot big rig leaves Hot Springs as the rear, pushing tractor just arrives, while wheels go every which-a-way. Four years ago, the first runs of the big truck transporting parts to and from the Bath County Pumped Storage Station was a big event with people standing on the sidewalk and a scheduled over night stop in Warm Springs. Thursday morning, the truck zipped through the county with a 221,000-pound headcover section causing only minimal delays. Beginning in the winter of 2003-04, Dominion Power began rebuilding the six pump-generator turbines and updating the controls and transformers. One turbine is rebuilt each year. When completed, the $90 million renovation will increase each unit's generating capacity to 416 megawatts, an 8 percent total increase for the facility. Information about scheduled runs of the big rig and road delays can be found at www.dom.com/about/ stations/hydro/bigrig.jsp or by calling 800-331-9365. (Recorder photo by Charles Garratt)