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Evans OJ, Norman J, Carter LJ, Hutchinson T, Don A, Wright RM, Tuhtan JA, Toming G, Bolland JD. Rethinking fish-friendliness of pumps by shifting focus to both safe and timely fish passage for effective conservation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17888. [PMID: 39095511 PMCID: PMC11297292 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67870-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Globally, catadromous freshwater eels of the genus Anguilla are of conservation concern, including critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Pumping stations that move river water to a higher elevation severely impact eels during their seaward spawning migration. Fish-friendly pumps can mitigate fish injury and mortality but here we uniquely rethink a fish-friendly pump as a fish passage solution. In this pluriannual study, the seasonal timing of pump operation was misaligned with the typical silver eel migration period. Eels were almost exclusively nocturnal but night-time pumping represented as little as 5.6% a year. Night-time eel approaches were primarily influenced by pump duration and temperature, but did not align with lunar phase, unlike in unregulated rivers. After reaching the pumping station, eel passage was influenced by weedscreen aperture and increased when the aperture was increased. Passive sensor collision suggested non-pump infrastructure could cause injury and mortality to eels. It is therefore recommended pump operation should align with the timing of silver eel migration, weedscreen and pump entrance efficiencies should be maximised, and non-pump infrastructure must have low fish injury risk. Ultimately, considering the entire structure a fish passage solution will help ensure fish-friendly pumps have high conservation value for anguillid eels globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J Evans
- Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
- Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Josh Norman
- Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Liam J Carter
- Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Thomas Hutchinson
- Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Andrew Don
- Environment Agency, Rivers House, East Quay, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 4YS, UK
| | - Rosalind M Wright
- Environment Agency, Inworth Road, Rivers House, Threshelfords Business Park, Feering, CO5 9SE, UK
| | - Jeffrey A Tuhtan
- Department of Computer Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate Tee 5, 19086, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Gert Toming
- Department of Computer Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate Tee 5, 19086, Tallinn, Estonia
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Matson PG, Stewart KM, Oladosu GA, Marzan EN, DeNeale ST. Estimated capital costs of fish exclusion technologies for hydropower facilities. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:119800. [PMID: 38071919 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Hydropower is a reliable source of renewable energy, and its future expansion is likely to be in the form of either smaller new stream development (NSD) projects or powering existing non-powered dams. Thresholds for entrainment risk to fish and the requirements for fish exclusion at hydropower facilities often differ depending on the species involved, the characteristics of the facility, and the goals of stakeholders, but little quantitative information is present within the literature regarding the specific costs of fish exclusion measures. Cost data associated with protection, mitigation, and enhancement (PM&E) measures related to positive barrier screening were identified using keyword searches of an existing environmental mitigation cost data set and manual extraction from regulatory licensing documents available in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) eLibrary. This approach yielded a total of 50 p.m.&E mitigation measures with estimated capital construction costs pertaining to positive barrier screens and represented <10% of the 171 total FERC project dockets available in the data set. These data were highly skewed toward conventional relicensing projects, as <7% were associated with NSD projects. Results indicate highly variable costs are associated with fish screening, with flow-normalized costs one to two orders of magnitude higher for screening with the highest exclusion capability (≤0.09 in. spacing) compared with coarser screening (1-2 in.). These data provide an initial baseline for estimating exclusion costs for hydropower development and may help developers consider options for more fish-friendly generation technologies, though gaps remain relating to a lack of data, particularly for NSD projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul G Matson
- Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
| | - Kevin M Stewart
- Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Gbadebo A Oladosu
- Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | | | - Scott T DeNeale
- Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
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Akstinas V, Virbickas T, Meilutytė-Lukauskienė D, Šarauskienė D, Vezza P, Kriaučiūnienė J, Rakauskas V, Steponėnas A, Jurgelėnaitė A, Jakimavičius D, Nazarenko S. Multicomponent assessment of the impact of hydropower cascade on fish metrics. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167541. [PMID: 37797772 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
The water sector is one of the priority areas of the European Union; therefore, legislation encourages the development of methods to protect the river ecosystem. The key to this is the characterization of the river's physical features with respect to ecological quality. Rivers are a complex system in which geomorphic conditions, hydrological regime, and ecological indicators interact. The group of hydropower plants (HPPs) that forms a hydropower cascade disturbs the natural continuity of river system components. Analysis of the spatial and temporal alterations in the river environment is important for understanding the potential impact of the hydropower cascade on ecological indicators. In a current study, the multicomponent assessment was used to evaluate the impact of the hydropower cascade of five HPPs on fish metrics as ecological indicators in the case study Varduva River. The research involved field surveys to collect hydrological data in highly affected ungauged river to estimate indicators of hydrologic alterations under HPPs operation, use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and digital photogrammetry to map geomorphic units, fish sampling to estimate composition of fish species and guilds, and fish habitat availability modelling based on the collected data and the conditional habitat suitability criteria using the MesoHABSIM modelling approach. Results revealed that the technical characteristics of HPPs determined their individual operation mode, which had a crucial impact on the hydrologic alterations of the river and, together with the distance between the dams, on the variation of fish metrics in the hydropower cascade. The intensive operation of the hydropower cascade created adverse effects for intolerant fish but was advantageous for tolerant fish species. The proposed HPP multimetric correlated with the fish metrics and showed similar tendencies between HPPs as habitat integrity index (IH), derived from MesoHABSIM modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vytautas Akstinas
- Laboratory of Hydrology, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Kaunas, Lithuania.
| | - Tomas Virbickas
- Laboratory of Fish Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | | | - Diana Šarauskienė
- Laboratory of Hydrology, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Paolo Vezza
- Department of Environment, Land, and Infrastructure Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Serhii Nazarenko
- Laboratory of Hydrology, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Kaunas, Lithuania
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Carter LJ, Wright RM, Thomas RE, Reeds J, Murphy LA, Collier SJ, Evans O, Baktoft H, Bolland JD. Timing is everything; operational changes at a pumping station with a gravity sluice to provide safe downstream passage for silver European eels and deliver considerable financial savings. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 347:119143. [PMID: 37804626 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Catadromous European eel (Anguilla anguilla) are a critically endangered fish species due in part to in-river anthropogenic barriers (e.g., pumping stations, weirs, hydropower facilities). European legislation stipulates that safe downstream passage must be provided at hazardous intakes. Where present, gravity sluices have the potential to act as safe and low-cost downstream passage for seaward migrating silver eels at pumping station, but operational changes are required. This study used catchment-wide and fine-scale acoustic telemetry to investigate if operational changes (OC) at a pumping station (PS) with a co-located gravity sluice (GS) facilitated safe downstream passage for silver European eels. Specifically, night-time pump operations were ceased, river levels prior to sluicing were elevated and the GS was opened during key eel migration windows, i.e., at night during the new moon phase in autumn. No tagged eels passed through any pumps and the majority (2018 = 87.5%, 2020 = 88.9%) that approached the PS during OC passed downstream through the GS. Most eels approached during the first period of night sluicing after release (2018 = 73.9% and 2020 = 76.5%) and passed downstream during the first sluice event they experienced at the PS (2018 = 66.7% and 2020 = 75.0%). During the final approach prior to passage, very few retreats back upstream occurred at a median (IQR) distance of 34 (7.25) m from the GS and were predominantly a short distance (1-8 m). Overall, OC at a PS with a GS are considered a win-win-win, despite opening the sluice for <3% of the study period, given safe downstream passage was maximised, the financial benefits of sluicing water (∼£14,670 in direct operational costs over two years) and the relative ease of implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam J Carter
- University of Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Rosalind M Wright
- Environment Agency, Rivers House, Threshelfords Business Park, Inworth Rd, Feering, CO5 9SE, UK
| | - Robert E Thomas
- Energy & Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Jake Reeds
- Environment Agency, Stepping Stone Walk, Winfrey Avenue, Spalding, Lincolnshire. PE11 1DA, UK
| | - Leona A Murphy
- University of Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Stephen J Collier
- University of Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK; Energy & Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Oliver Evans
- University of Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Henrik Baktoft
- National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Jonathan D Bolland
- University of Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
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Mueller M, Knott J, Pander J, Geist J. Experimental comparison of fish mortality and injuries at innovative and conventional small hydropower plants. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Mueller
- Aquatic Systems Biology Technical University of Munich Freising Germany
| | - Josef Knott
- Aquatic Systems Biology Technical University of Munich Freising Germany
| | - Joachim Pander
- Aquatic Systems Biology Technical University of Munich Freising Germany
| | - Juergen Geist
- Aquatic Systems Biology Technical University of Munich Freising Germany
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