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Grey Hagwood: The future of the Green River Reservoir is at stake

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This commentary is by Grey Hagwood of St. Albans, chair of the Vermont Council of Trout Unlimited.

Recently, Morrisville Water and Light started a public debate about the future of the Green River Reservoir in Hyde Park. Possible outcomes include removing the dam and eliminating the reservoir, or transferring ownership to the state of Vermont, which would become responsible for its management and maintenance.

However, this discussion must be framed within a larger context of the environmental health of the Lamoille and Green rivers in the vicinity of the three hydroelectric dams owned by the municipal utility: the Morrisville, Cady Falls and Green River dams. 

Environmental studies commissioned by Morrisville Water and Light show the three facilities do not meet Vermont water quality standards the way they are currently operated, resulting in degraded water quality and aquatic habitat. 

While discussion of the future of Green River Dam continues, Vermont Trout Unlimited asks that Morrisville Water and Light make the changes needed at the Morrisville and Cadys Falls dams to restore river flows and aquatic habitat on the Lamoille River below those dams.

All three hydroelectric facilities are licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Over 10 years ago, Morrisville Water and Light started the process of obtaining a new license to continue to operate these facilities for another 40 years. The licensing process includes multiple studies to determine the impacts of the dams on natural resources (aquatic habitat, water quality, endangered species, wildlife, etc.), historic resources, recreation and public safety. 

Admittedly, this makes relicensing an expensive process because the studies and analyses must be conducted by qualified experts hired by the utility. But FERC needs these studies not only to determine conditions for operation, ranging from environmental protection to public safety, but also to make an informed decision on whether to decommission and remove a dam. 

Finally, the studies are important to the state of Vermont, which must certify that the dams will meet the requirements of Vermont water quality standards as required by the federal Clean Water Act.

Anyone using water from Vermont’s lakes and rivers, or discharging waste into them, must comply with water quality standards, not just Morrisville Water and Light. Hydroelectric plants, farms, ski resorts, waste treatment plants and others must meet the current standards. 

The standards are science-based, and as science improves, so do environmental standards. Therefore, so must the operation of any business that impacts Vermont’s rivers, including the Morrisville utility. We cannot protect and restore our rivers by following standards that were in force 40 years ago.

After reviewing the environmental studies conducted by Morrisville Water and Light’s consultants, the state of Vermont issued conditions specifying how water must be managed at the dams in order to meet standards. Morrisville Water and Light challenged those conditions in court, which is certainly its right. But ultimately, the Vermont Supreme Court confirmed the conditions set by the state. 

According to a Nov. 2 commentary posted on its website regarding the Green River Dam relicensing, the Friends of the Green River Reservoir note that Morrisville Water and Light has spent over $1.1 million in attorneys fees fighting the state in court. Imagine where we could be had that $1.1 million been applied to making the changes necessary so the dams can be operated in an environmentally responsible way.

Morrisville Water and Light has decided Green River Dam is no longer economically viable if it has to meet water quality standards. It wants to sell the dam to the state of Vermont. In other words, Vermont taxpayers would assume the liability of Morrisville Water and Light’s ratepayers for operation and maintenance of the dam. 

It is unclear if the Morrisville utility would expect the state to pay for the dam, or simply take it over to get out from under the liability. Either way, FERC will have to approve any change in ownership or operation. Morrisville Water and Light is hiring a consultant to develop a proposal to modify or remove the dam that will be submitted to FERC and the state. This process will take time, and while it plays out, water quality and aquatic habitat on the Lamoille River suffer.

On a final note, a letter to the editor Oct. 28 in the News & Citizen weekly newspaper, titled “Green River dam is coming down,” states that “Trout Unlimited argues the dam should come down to improve fish habitat downstream.” 

Regretfully, the author was either misinformed or deliberately misleading readers. Trout Unlimited has never advocated for the removal of this dam. Instead, during the 10-year federal relicensing process and subsequent court cases, Trout Unlimited has argued for better conservation flows to protect aquatic habitat below all three dams, including the Green River Dam. It is possible for the dam to remain and to restore downstream aquatic habitat if better conservation flows are provided.

Trout Unlimited continually maintains that Morrisville Water and Light needs to do a better job protecting aquatic habitat below all three of its dams: Green River, Morrisville and Cadys Falls. Removal of the Green River Dam is not a simple issue. Morrisville Water and Light owns the dam, and it cannot modify or remove it without state and federal approval. 

Because of this, all groups that have an interest in the future of the dam should be involved in this discussion. And while this discussion continues, Morrisville Water and Light owes it to the public, who desire healthier aquatic habitat and improved recreation on the Lamoille River, to apply the conservation flows below all three dams as required by the state and affirmed by the Vermont courts.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Grey Hagwood: The future of the Green River Reservoir is at stake.


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