Lehigh River has 2 Francis EW dam proposals coming

[BeastBrown]

Just looking over the local paper and noticed that the Borough of Weatherly filed an application for a preliminary permit to study the feasibility of hydroelectric facilities on the Lehigh.

There is a company, Mid-Atlantic Hydro LLC, who also filed a permit application that was noticed on September 24, 2013. They want to install two turbines for a total capacity of 13 gigawatt hours. Says project would include a concrete reinforced powerhouse to be located near the outlet structure of the existing penstock.

They couldn't leave it alone. For anyone who has never fished here, it is a treasure of public property in Pa, with a 20 mile long stone graded bike path that follows the river. The area is stunning. Close to roads, but once you get down in the Gorge you feel that you could be in Montana in the remote stretches. The upper Gorge is a state park.

We need more nuclear power plants. Steam emitting. Don't meltdown like Chernobyl and are energy powerhouses in a compact area.

Huge green washing going on right now in this state with load balancing wind with gas. Whole mountains are riddled with these subsidized turbines that don't even spin half the time. Now the hydro dreams.


Amount of electricity generated by a 1,000-MW reactor at 90% capacity factor in one year: 7.9 billion kWh—enough to supply electricity for 740,000 households.

If generated by other fuel sources, it would require:

Oil: 13.7 million barrels – 1 barrel yields 576 kWh
Coal: 3.4 million short tons – 1 ton yields 2,297 kWh
Natural Gas: 65.8 billion cubic feet – 100 cubic feet yields 12 kWh
(based on average conversion rates from the Energy Information Administration)

 

[geebee]

I hope they build a state of the art fish ladder as part of the cost then.

 

[SBecker]

Fish ladder for what? Lol

 

[BeastBrown]

SBecker wrote:
Fish ladder for what? Lol

Hey man, I think the LRSA put some Salmon in, I'm sure you know where they are... :lol:

 

[SBecker]

Don't want to throw a worthy subject off course. Just honestly trying ro figure out why the fish ladder comment.




And it was Chrome. Lol

 

[geebee]

SBecker wrote:
Fish ladder for what? Lol

"Dams constructed on the Lehigh during the 1800s have resulted in the near extirpation of American shad and other migratory fishes, including hickory shad, blueback herring and alewife, from the river. American shad is an anadromous fish that lives much of its life in the Atlantic Ocean, but must migrate into freshwater rivers and streams to spawn.

Before the dams were constructed, shad were an extremely abundant and very critical component of the Lehigh River ecosystem. Creation of the dams stopped shad migration into the Lehigh River. Removing dams will allow shad and other migratory fish to return to the Lehigh and will allow resident fish to move freely throughout the river. "


😛int:

 

[LehighRegular]

Geebee

Fish ladders or dam removal is needed down stream around Allentown. FEW is up in the headwaters. From what I have been told, shad never even made it up that far. I think Bowmanstown was their limit. The big rapid up stream from the Bowmanstown bridge prevented their migration. Too big of a drop for them to get up....or so I've been told.

As I understand it, the hydro studies will look a "run of the river" generation.

These are just studies to look at the feasibility of doing such a project. Something to watch, but nothing to get to alarmed about right now.

 

[troutbert]

Would a run-of-the-river hydro-electric project cause any harm to the river, trout and other aquatic life?

If so, how?

 

[franklin]

Where is this hydro project proposed to be built? I'm very skeptical of the math used to project the amount of power generated. It's usually significantly exaggerated through "fuzzy" math.

Also what would give Weatherly any special access or rights to the river?

 

[FarmerDave]

Troutbert, the answer to your question probably depends on ones definition of "hurt," but if you are taking water and running it through a turbine and there is fish in said water, it is likely one could not say that no fish were harmed in the lighting of that bulb.

Also, one would have to define hurt when it comes to a river. Will it be less pretty? Probably.

HOWEVER

The OP says they are looking at putting turbines at the end of the existing penstock which implies there will not be another dam. Just using what is already there.

Then LR says they are studying "run of the river" which uses little to no water storage. IMO, it is the way to go if you MUST use hydroelectric. Apparently part of the river is already diverted and flowing through a penstock?

 

[franklin]

FarmerDave wrote:
Troutbert, the answer to your question probably depends on ones definition of "hurt," but if you are taking water and running it through a turbine and there is fish in said water, it is likely one could not say that no fish were harmed in the lighting of that bulb.

Also, one would have to define hurt when it comes to a river. Will it be less pretty? Probably.

HOWEVER

The OP says they are looking at putting turbines at the end of the existing penstock which implies there will not be another dam. Just using what is already there.

Then LR says they are studying "run of the river" which uses little to no water storage. IMO, it is the way to go if you MUST use hydroelectric. Apparently part of the river is already diverted and flowing through a penstock?

I was wondering if Weatherly already had a water intake or something there but I don't see anything on Google Maps.

 

[FarmerDave]

It's very confusing, but he did say two proposals.

 

[SBecker]

Geebee, I understand the use of fish ladders. I am laughing at the fact that you would try to put one on FEW dam. Additionally, we all know ladders are basically useless. Tear down the dams. Just not FEW.

geebee wrote:

SBecker wrote:
Fish ladder for what? Lol

"Dams constructed on the Lehigh during the 1800s have resulted in the near extirpation of American shad and other migratory fishes, including hickory shad, blueback herring and alewife, from the river. American shad is an anadromous fish that lives much of its life in the Atlantic Ocean, but must migrate into freshwater rivers and streams to spawn.

Before the dams were constructed, shad were an extremely abundant and very critical component of the Lehigh River ecosystem. Creation of the dams stopped shad migration into the Lehigh River. Removing dams will allow shad and other migratory fish to return to the Lehigh and will allow resident fish to move freely throughout the river. "


😛int:

 

[geebee]

SBecker wrote:
Geebee, I understand the use of fish ladders. I am laughing at the fact that you would try to put one on FEW dam. Additionally, we all know ladders are basically useless. Tear down the dams. Just not FEW.

one ladder is not useless, its when there is 3-4 badly designed ladders like on the susky that sucks.

there is some VERY famous Salmon runs in Europe that wouldn't exist without ladders alongside Hydro dams - the Tummel, Beauly etc in scotland and various schemes in Scandinavia.

they are properly designed and properly run - river flow generating apart from 'freshets' to scour the river in late winter

i'd rather the dams came down too, but if they're not going to - any repair or upgrade should have a fish ladder in the price tag - even if its just for eels - thats still a transmission of ocean protein into the upper tribs - and anyway herring used to run 300 miles up the susky into its tribs around Brighampton, NY.

a bit further than the lehigh methinks...

 

[troutbert]

If you're serious about shad and eel runs, the focus must be on the 3 dams in the lower Lehigh.

Back in the 1990s, the PFBC talked a lot about putting fish ladders on those, to restore shad runs. Some people said "Oh goody." Some of us grouchy skeptics grumbled "It won't work. You want shad runs, you'll have to remove the dams."

I'm not sure how all that played out. Any updates? Did they put fish ladders on all 3 dams? Are they getting any decent shad runs above those dams?

 

[Dcap240]

Lehigh shad

 

[troutbert]

Dcap240 wrote:
Lehigh shad

Thanks for that info.

"Monitoring was discontinued at the Chain Dam (RM 3.0) fishway due to its inability to successfully pass shad."

So a few shad were able to get upriver about 3 miles above the mouth.

 

[SBecker]

I know of 2 shad ever caught at the Cementon dam in the past 15 years. That would be the farthest they could make it.

 

[BeastBrown]

franklin wrote:
Where is this hydro project proposed to be built? I'm very skeptical of the math used to project the amount of power generated. It's usually significantly exaggerated through "fuzzy" math.

Also what would give Weatherly any special access or rights to the river?

I'm guessing it goes in right at the base of the mountain of rock known as the Francis E Walter dam.

The average nuclear power plant in America produced almost 12000 gigawatt hours in 2012. 13 gigawatts for this hydro deal, eh, dunno.

I know I hear the Lackawaxen river that produces hydro is not very fun to fish when they generate electricity at all. Do they run rafts on the Lackawaxen? Lackawaxen has got to be an older system though.

 

[BeastBrown]

Anyone winter fishing the Lehigh? I know they eat this time of year in that river. What I do not know is if they will move for a small piece of fur, lol. Once the edge ice builds up though, it is near impossible to fish with any method, and it looks like it will be stacking up and out soon.