Something to be concerned about

[Dan Andrews]

http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDi....aspx?e=1114179

<h2 style="margin-top: 0pt;">Study seeks to tap Twelve Mile Creek's hydro potential; </h2> <h4 class="grey">Posted By MATTHEW VAN DONGEN, OSPREY NEWS NETWORK</h4> <h5 class="grey">Posted 5 days ago</h5>

Frank Perri wants to see a power plant pumping energy out of rushing Twelve Mile Creek.

But first, the general manager at St. Catharines Hydro Generation needs to see what lies underneath all those rapids.

"It's a fast-flowing river, which makes construction difficult. You can't divert it, you can't dam it, you have to build some sort of structure to allow the work to happen. That's the trick," he said.

"Is it impossible? No. Is it tricky? Yes."

Project planners need to do a detailed hydraulics study to see whether building a proposed five-megawatt generating station near the Fourth Avenue bridge is possible.

They'll get their chance in August, Perri said, when Ontario Power Generation slows the creek flow for the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

Residents can expect to see workers using sonar to map the creek bottom from just south of Fourth Avenue to north of Wellandvale Road.

That's where a quick 2.5-metre drop in elevation makes the creek the perfect candidate for power production.

The proposed plant could churn out a maximum of five megawatts of electricity, enough to light up 5,000 homes.

That's slightly smaller than the Heywood Generating Station in Port Dalhousie, which St. Catharines Hydro Generation also runs.

The power potential is obvious, but so are the problems.

Construction crews would need to build cofferdams to keep roiling water out of any work zones. And they would need to remove two old erosion-control weirs and dredge almost a half-kilometre of creek bed.

The site has plenty of "sensitive ownership issues," Perri said.

The energy company wants to negotiate a lease with Ontario Power Generation, which owns the creek bed and controls water flow.

But that's just a start.

Surrounding landowners also include the city, Regional Municipality of Niagara, Niagara Health System, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation and Biolyse Pharma Corp.

Potential engineering and ownership complications could push the project price tag to between $20 million and $30 million.

A feasibility study last year suggested the plant could still be a moneymaker under Ontario's standard offer contract of 11 cents per kilowatt hour for green power.

Perri knows other groups also have designs on the raging rapids.

In the past, kayaking enthusiasts have pitched building a whitewater course at the same time as the proposed power plant.

The creek has repeatedly been floated as a possible competitive slalom course, including for a potential 2015 Pan Am Games bid for southern Ontario.

So far, Perri said no one involved in the Pan Am Games bid has contacted him.

A slalom course isn't part of the energy company's construction plans for the creek, but Perri said he expects to hear the idea come up in public meetings planned for the fall. Those meetings will provide public input for environmental screening and water management plans required by both the province and federal government.

But if you don't want to wait to comment or hear more, call Perri or project consultant Hatch Energy. "We'd like to hear people's concerns ahead of time," said Perri.

If all goes well, the project could go to tender in 2009.

Article ID# 1114179

[longmayyourun]

Using 12 mile creek for hydro electric power generation is and excellent idea. It is a non polluting source of electricity. The stretch of water has been altered over the years by the Welland Canal and Ontario Hydro.

whirlpool

[smerchly]

Using 12 mile creek for hydro electric power generation is and excellent idea. It is a non polluting source of electricity. The stretch of water has been altered over the years by the Welland Canal and Ontario Hydro.

whirlpool

I agree , hydro power is the cleanest & cheapest . In these days of green everything , forget the initial costs to build ,add it the monthly bills . Us fishermen/ sports enthusiaists will have to take a back seat to what's best for the environment ......as long as they consult with all groups concerned to show fragil areas of wildlife will be addressed .They shut down the Decew gens for the rowers which reduces the flow at Welland Vale to nothing , so they can easily do the concrete work needed first . It will be interesting to see the plans & how they decide to accomplish this feat . We have lots of water power in Ontario , we need to utilize it fully to keep away from gas/coal burning plants & nukes.......

[Dan Andrews]

Lets just hope they decide to incorporate a fish bypass and use low mortality or high end turbines. The OMNR would like to see fish bypasses built into all barriers so if they do it in Port D it will be pointless without making an effort to do so first at Wellandvale.

There was a by pass there years ago on the West side. They could actually use a new dam to regulate it.

Just remember all hydro projects come with loss of land (the trail) and high fences. Allot of people use that trail from Martindale rd to Wellandvale.

The OPG already said they had no problem putting a barrier to stop lake run fish from reaching the cold water stretch. Guess I'm still dreaming of fishing the 12 for bows and fall chinnook. Would be great some day to have allot more shore access to these fish. Imagine salmon fishing under Glendale. I guess this dam could spell an end to that dream.