...and if you watch the video at the top, then read the background to
the Kelham Island hydro scheme and wish that the good folk of Sheffield
would learn from the terrible consequences of hydro schemes elsewhere
and reverse the decision to plough ahead with their own hydro scheme,
please vote on the petition at the top right hand side of the blog. You
need not be a citizen of Sheffield to vote. All you need to be is a
citizen of the world and care about the life in and around the world's
rivers.
...the terrible consequences of hydro schemes elsewhere...
The river Don, a natural salmon river, has suffered about 400 years of
abuse. It is an amazing example of how a river can come back to life if
folks stop abusing it. The saddest aspect of this scheme is that,
after a few short years of improvement, the river Don is going to be set
back to the impoverished state it was in, when really it should be
getting all the help it can to keep on coming fully back to life.
(Lifted from Regular Rods blog but well worth the copy and paste)
Another problem is that the noise from these small scale
hydro-electric schemes may be scaring off migrating fish, preventing
them from reachng their spawning grounds. See this article on the
Settle Hydro: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/salmon-fishing-harmed-by-hydro-scheme-1-4193772 Of
course this problem is also very critical locally, where three hydro
schemes are being installed (one already generating) on the Goyt, which
has a nascent salmon run, not yet properly established. The hydro
scheme may well ensure that the salmon run NEVER gets to be of any
significant size.
