Dam Demolition.
Community Meeting held to discuss plan and progress
By: Ian Oakes
“It would basically turn the river to a more natural state, and provide a cleaner habitat for the fish”. — Ken Jock, director of the SRMT Environmental Division. –on the dam removal. (2013)
On Wednesday evening, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Environment Division held a community meeting to discuss its plans for the power dam in Hogansburg. The hydroelectric dam was built on the St. Regis River in 1929, and supplied power to the light industry and homes nearby. There were over 20 community members in attendance as well as the presenter, Tony David, Program Manager of the SRMT Water Resources.
The Hogansburg Power Dam
The dam, which is co-licensed by the SRMT and Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners, is not currently generating power and is in need of repair. Even when it was in operation, its production was scaled back to prevent further damage to the turbine, which at its peak, only generated ½ Megawatt of power. Current estimates of power supply needs are upwards of seven to nine megawatts, some 18 times more than what the dam is able to provide.
There were a few options considered in what to do with the dam. The first would have been to repair it and potentially use the power here, however this was cost prohibitive. The damn currently produces about $36,000 annually, but costs $100,000 dollars per year to operate. To pursue this option would also cost 3-3.5 million, with the possibility that costs could greatly exceed that.
Water quality regulations in place with SRMT and NYS also inflate costs, as there are many things to consider such as recreational access, and pass-through access for fish – meaning the fish can pass upstream and downstream and not be impeded by anything.
Another option was to leave the damn as is, and do nothing. The problem with this approach is that the federal license the SRMT is a part of stipulates that the bridge must be dealt with from “cradle to the grave†said David. The license means all parties are responsible and it cannot be left, and as long as it stands, a license needs to be held. Leaving it in place was not an option.
The final option was to remove the damn. There were many considerations to take into account, and these needed to be addressed. This project was not a new thing. It has been in the works for a while and many studies were conducted. Learning from the mistakes of projects like the Ft. Covington Dam removal, David and his team knew what to consider. The dam demolition is slated to cost approximately $1,000,000, and save the tribe $100,000 in maintenance alone.
Demolition is the best choice
The dam being demolished represents the best possible outcome, as it eliminates a threat to native fish species, it allows the river to return to its previous state, and in the process open up more attractive spawning grounds for native species of fish, potentially yielding greater and longer runs.
Water quality issues are addressed in the process. The greatest change will take place between the damn and the bridge, and is where the water levels will fall the most. Changes diminish with distance upstream. The area in question should become shallower and faster moving, with an almost ripple effect. Above the bridge, water levels will drop, but not drastically. Land will be reclaimed in the process and be returned to SRMT.
Negative Impacts of the project
Largely, the project will come away with few negative impacts. Concerns were raised about PCB contaminated sediment, and it was said by David that there is absolutely none, but it will be monitored. The water will speed up in some of the more shallow areas, and in all the deepest areas should only fall by around 4 feet, according to models being used.
The building should be repurposed by the community and the responsibility of removing the transformer and all potentially hazardous materials falls on the other co-licensee, Brookfield Renewable Energy. This means they will be held to the most rigorous standards when it comes to ensuring the safety of the workers and the environmental impact – ‘cradle to grave’ responsibility.
Flooding was brought up by community members and a fear that removing the damn would make the river more susceptible to floods. Unfortunately, whether the damn stays or goes, the flood susceptibility largely remains unchanged. The damn does not control melt rates and times in the Adirondacks where the water is coming from. Also it was said that the river tends to be flash as it stands. People will see the river rise a good deal within 12-24 hours when there are storms, this will remain the same. Further to this, river rates below the damn are influenced by Beauharnais, QC and Hydro Quebec.
Positive Outcomes
The largest benefactor to the dam removal will be native fish and wildlife. One thing that was discovered is that there is a limited amount of genetic diversity in upstream populations of fish, where by allowing downstream fish to bring new genetics into the population will benefit them greatly, particularly to walleye and . As mentioned before, giving native species a shot at finding the most favorable spawning grounds should be a boon and help to create larger populations and longer runs. It was mentioned by David that there are Atlantic Salmon that have been seen in the area, looking for good spawning grounds, so this project may help them to return to Akwesasne waters.
Project Details
The Project is slated to start in July of next year and continue through until October 2016. There are currently guarantees for 40% native employment, but there is no reason that it will be capped at that.
Drawdown Test
Beginning next Monday, a drawdown test will take place to see how the river reacts to dropping six feet. The most significant changes should take place on day 3. Currently the flow of the outlet is restricted, but by removing those barriers and lifting the gates, this will allow the river level above the damn to fall and give the best clue as to how the river will behave going forward.
Finally, volunteers will be needed to help return stranded fish and mussels. Contact Tony David at tony.david@srmt-nsn.gov if you are interested in volunteering next week.
