How Different Spillway Gates Work

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Published on 1/11/2023 (70 days ago) Hydroelectric, Video

California dams on the Klamath River to be demolished in 'momentous' restoration plan

PORTLAND, Ore. -- U.S. regulators approved a plan Thursday to demolish four dams on a California river and open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat that would be the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the world when it goes forward.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's unanimous vote on the lower Klamath River dams is the last major regulatory hurdle and the biggest milestone for a $500 million demolition proposal championed by Native American tribes and environmentalists for years. The project would return the lower half of California's second-largest river to a free-flowing state for the first time in more than a century.Native tribes that rely on the Klamath River and its salmon for their way of life have been a driving force behind bringing the dams down in a...

Published on 11/30/2022 (112 days ago) Hydroelectric

Climate, politics double threat as Tigris-Euphrates shrivels

DAWWAYAH, Iraq and ILISU DAM, Turkey (AP) — Next year, the water will come. The pipes have been laid to Ata Yigit’s sprawling farm in Turkey’s southeast connecting it to a dam on the Euphrates River. A dream, soon to become a reality, he says.Over 1,000 kilometers (625 miles) downstream in southern Iraq, nothing grows anymore in Obeid Hafez’s wheat farm. The water stopped coming a year ago, the 95-year-old said.The starkly different realities are playing out along the length of the Tigris-Euphrates river basin, one of the world’s most vulnerable. River flows have fallen by 40% in the past four decades as countries along its length — Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq — pursue rapid, unilateral development of the waters’ use.The drop is projected to worsen as temperatures rise from climate...

Published on 11/23/2022 (119 days ago) Hydroelectric

Western Montana Water Rights

Western Montana Water RightsOn June 9th, the Montana Water Court issued notification to the public that they were proceeding with their review of the CSKT Compact.  This communication, along with a 4 page summary of the compact, was sent out to put all water users on notice as to the commencement of proceedings for the Water Court’s consideration for approval of the CSKT water compact.It is imperative that as a water user in western Montana, you read this information provided by the court and understand that your water rights could be impacted by the compact.  If you believe your water rights are negatively impacted, you have the right to object. “At this stage in the adjudication, all affected persons are required to state any objections that they may have to the Preliminary Decree.  Your...

Published on 7/26/2022 (239 days ago) Hydroelectric

Hydropower is the forgotten giant of low-carbon electricity

iea.org Hydropower is the backbone of low-carbon electricity generation, providing almost half of it worldwide today. Hydropower’s contribution is 55% higher than nuclear’s and larger than that of all other renewables combined, including wind, solar PV, bioenergy and geothermal. In 2020, hydropower supplied 17% of global electricity generation, the third‑largest source after coal and natural gas. Over the last 20 years, hydropower’s total capacity rose 70% globally, but its share of total generation stayed stable due to the growth of wind, solar PV, coal and natural gas.Emerging and developing economies have led global hydropower growth since the 1970s, mainly through public sector investments in large plants. Today, hydropower meets the majority of electricity demand in 28 emerging and...

Published on 7/21/2022 (244 days ago) Hydroelectric

Sustainable growth requires reliable hydropower

Daily Interlake | May 15, 2022When we’re floating and fishing on the stunning Three Forks of the Flathead River, we don’t always think about how our rivers are part of the Columbia River Basin’s headwaters. However, our waters flow from Northwest Montana all the way to the Pacific Ocean – about 700 miles from our backyards – and electricity flows back up to us from hydroelectric dams on those rivers.... READ FULL ARTICLE...

Published on 7/21/2022 (244 days ago) Hydroelectric

Hydropower’s Future in a Zero-carbon Grid

Natel Energy | Dec. 7, 2020Hydropower sits at the nexus of energy and water, enabling hydropower projects to be catalysts for positive change. If designed with both in mind, hydropower projects can increase reliable renewable generation and have positive benefits for river ecosystems and water users. Conventional approaches to hydropower did not always adequately consider the ecosystem impacts of large structures — but major shifts the hydropower industry are underway. On October 13, 2020, the hydropower industry and river community signed a historic Joint Statement of Collaboration to discuss ways to maximize hydropower’s climate benefits, while mitigating the environmental impact of conventional dams and supporting environmental restoration.This collaboration between the hydro industry...

Published on 7/21/2022 (244 days ago) Hydroelectric