Report: Hydroelectric dams on St. John River causing environmental damage but it's unlikely they will be removed

A1

Benjamin Shingler
Telegraph-Journal

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

4 Comment(s)

FREDERICTON - Alarm bells are being sounded about the future of the storied St. John River.

New Brunswick experts agree with a report released last week that says hydroelectric dams on the river have significantly altered its flow and reduced its fish population, particularly the prized Atlantic salmon.

The report by the World Wildlife Federation says that downstream from hydroelectric dams, river flows can fluctuate by as much as 91 per cent over a 24-hour period.

"At times flows are reduced to the point that the riverbed almost dries up," states the report, which examines the health of 10 major rivers in Canada.

New Brunswick has seven hydroelectric dams, including three along the St. John River, generating 20 per cent of NB Power's total capacity.

Mactaquac, located 20 km up the St. John River from Fredericton, is the largest among them.

"The really big problem is the Mactaquac headpond," said Fred Whoriskey, vice-president of Research and Environment at the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

Salmon depend on cues as they migrate along the river, and the absence of a clear current in the headpond causes confusion, he said.

"It's the single largest headpond in the world, and they lose their way," he said.

If young salmon do manage to make their way through the headpond, Whoriskey said, they can face an even greater risk - getting caught in the dam's turbines and turning into "fishmeal."

Whoriskey acknowledges that the Mactaquac dam is a major source of renewable energy and will not be taken down any time soon.

"We have not found a magic, brilliant idea that would solve all the problems on the Mactaquac headpond," he said.

For now, Whoriskey says the federation is hoping to work with NB Power to develop a better system at some of New Brunswick's smaller dams, such as Beachwood and Tobique.

David Coon, executive director of the Conservation Council, believes NB Power should go even further and remove some of them.

"Some of those dams should never have been built on the St. John, but they were," he said.

"It bears examination to determine what we can do about it, and surely there are things that can be done."

NB Power, however, has suggested it may even increase its hydroelectric presence as it searches for cheap, renewable forms of electricity.

"We are looking at potential opportunities to expand, but it is preliminary right now," Phillip Gilks, NB Power's hydro manager, said back in March.

Power from the dams is the cheapest source of electricity in New Brunswick. In a good year, when there's plenty of rain and the flows are strong, hydro can pump up NB Power's bottom line by $50 million to $60 million.

Hydroelectricity decreases generation costs and provides renewable energy without emitting greenhouse gases, said Heather MacLean, spokeswoman for NB Power.

That last point could be important, since the report also suggests that over the next century, climate change will further alter the river's flow as the global temperature continues to climb.

"Climate change appears to have already made its presence felt in the watershed with snowpack in New Brunswick decreasing up to 50 per cent in the past 30 years," the report says.

Tony Maas, director of fresh water program for WWF-Canada, says he recognizes that hydroelectricity is an important source of renewable energy, and one that cannot be abandoned in the fight against climate change. But he argues that more can be done to reduce the environmental impact of hydroelectric dams.

"We haven't paid as good attention as we should to how dams impact our rivers," he said.

He says that as hydro dams are gradually repaired or replaced over the next several decades, there will be opportunities to reduce their impact on river flows and fish life.