Location
UMass Amherst
Start Date
27-6-2011 10:40 AM
End Date
27-6-2011 11:00 AM
Description
The 1.5-MW Ft. Halifax Hydroelectric Project was constructed on the Sebasticook River, Maine, near its confluence with the Kennebec River in 1908, and was relicensed by FERC in 1997. On May 26, 1998, the project owner and other hydro project owners on the lower Kennebec River signed the Lower Kennebec River Comprehensive Hydropower Settlement Accord (Accord), which set out a timetable for fish passage construction at several dams on the river. At Ft. Halifax, the Accord called for the cessation of temporary fish pump operations used for fish passage, and construction of a fish lift by 2003, or project retirement and breaching for fish passage. On June 20, 2002, the owner filed an application with FERC to surrender the license, retire the project, and breach the dam, citing economic reasons- the high cost of installing a fish lift vs. the limited power production at the site. State and federal agencies and other entities that signed the Accord supported the application to surrender, but significant local opposition developed by Save Our Sebasticook (SOS), a local citizens group, and the Town of Winslow, ME. FERC approved the application for surrender of license on January 23, 2004 and ordered that the dam be partially removed to allow for fish passage. Following the FERC order, the opposition group (SOS) first appealed the FERC order and then the state regulatory agency permits for the removal of the dam. The FERC order was upheld in Federal court, and the state permits were upheld by the Maine Supreme Court, Dam removal occured in the summer/fall of 2008. This presentation will provide "before and after" habitat characterization of reach, and will report the results of anadromous fish returns in 2009 and 2010 at the next upstream dam.
Session C1- The anatomy of a dam removal- Ft. Halifax Project, Maine
UMass Amherst
The 1.5-MW Ft. Halifax Hydroelectric Project was constructed on the Sebasticook River, Maine, near its confluence with the Kennebec River in 1908, and was relicensed by FERC in 1997. On May 26, 1998, the project owner and other hydro project owners on the lower Kennebec River signed the Lower Kennebec River Comprehensive Hydropower Settlement Accord (Accord), which set out a timetable for fish passage construction at several dams on the river. At Ft. Halifax, the Accord called for the cessation of temporary fish pump operations used for fish passage, and construction of a fish lift by 2003, or project retirement and breaching for fish passage. On June 20, 2002, the owner filed an application with FERC to surrender the license, retire the project, and breach the dam, citing economic reasons- the high cost of installing a fish lift vs. the limited power production at the site. State and federal agencies and other entities that signed the Accord supported the application to surrender, but significant local opposition developed by Save Our Sebasticook (SOS), a local citizens group, and the Town of Winslow, ME. FERC approved the application for surrender of license on January 23, 2004 and ordered that the dam be partially removed to allow for fish passage. Following the FERC order, the opposition group (SOS) first appealed the FERC order and then the state regulatory agency permits for the removal of the dam. The FERC order was upheld in Federal court, and the state permits were upheld by the Maine Supreme Court, Dam removal occured in the summer/fall of 2008. This presentation will provide "before and after" habitat characterization of reach, and will report the results of anadromous fish returns in 2009 and 2010 at the next upstream dam.
Comments
Peter Foote is a senior fisheries scientist with the Louis Berger Group, Inc., an international engineering/scientific consulting firm. Mr. Foote has an M.S. degree in fisheries biology from the University of Massachusetts, and 35+ years of experience in both government service and in the private sector. He worked for 8 years in the Office of Hydropower Licensing, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and has held positions with several consulting companies. He has experience throughout the U.S., in the Northwest Territories, and in Nepal. His expertise is primarily in the area of hydropower licensing and associated impact assessment studies, fish passage design and operations, and instream flow assessments. He is currently serving as Deputy Project Manager for a Hydroelectric Environmental and Engineering Support Services Contract with the FERC, assisting the FERC in their regulation of hydropower operations throughout the U.S.