Fish Inclusion for Hydropower: The River Institute's Science + Nature Series Hosts Natel
Abe and Sterling explain how the RHT works, how we know it works, and where it's going. With special emphasis on eel safety and applications for the St. Lawrence River. Hosted by the River Institute.
Migration corridors for riverine species tend to overlap with valuable hydropower resources. Supporting clean hydroelectric power generation while also protecting freshwater diversity is in many cases an unmet challenge. Exclusion infrastructure (i.e., fine fish screens, behavioral guidance infrastructure, and bypasses) can protect fish from turbine entrainment when it is feasible, but also limits the available passage routes for fish and constrains hydropower generation. Alternatively, turbines designed to pass fish downstream safely can maintain connectivity for downstream migrating species while also enabling uninterrupted hydropower operation. Integrating safe downstream passage into normal hydropower operations through the use of fish-safe turbines (fish inclusion) can reduce cost and complexity while facilitating downstream migration. We will describe the function and application range of a new propeller-style turbine, called the Restoration Hydro Turbine (RHT), as well as passage testing learnings and results for American eel, Alewife, and Rainbow trout.
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