Hydro Power

Fish, Loons, and Aquatic Habitat.  The ponds that the hydro plants produce, called impoundments, create a new source of habitat that many animals utilize and enjoy. 

Water levels in these ponds constantly change according to weather conditions and other circumstances not controlled by Green Mountain Power.

Any significant change in the impoundment water level can have a profound effect on the plants and animals that live in the area.

Green Mountain Power is concerned about potential effects on fish and other wildlife from hydro dams. 

ü  Because most of the hydro dams owned by Green Mountain Power have been in existence for decades, it is difficult to compare ecosystems with what they were before.  And many of the dam ecosystems would change drastically if the dams were changed or removed, as they rely on them for their current habitat. 

ü  Green Mountain Power’s dispatch center at its Colchester office monitors water levels and adjusts the water flow going into the hydro plants accordingly. 

ü  We create a consistent water level for the many plants and animals living in and around its hydro plants.  See below for more information on protecting the loons.

ü  We complete studies to measure dam effects.  For example, one study assessed dam effects during the West Danville Hydroelectric Project, located on Joe’s Brook in the Town of Danville, Vermont. 

ü  Loon recovery goals were met in 2004, when VT achieved a five-year average of at least 40 nesting pairs, producing at least one fledgling per pair.  In April 2005, Vermont removed loons from the endangered species list.

ü  Loons now live in two geographic regions of the state.

Wind Power

Black Bears.  The Searsburg wind plant is located in a bear corridor, between two bear habitats. 

Working with biologists from the state Fish and Wildlife Department, methods to mitigate any potential disturbance to bear movement were developed and incorporated into the design and operating plans for the wind facility.  Specifically, we:

ü  Minimize clearing near the turbines and road.

ü  Design operating and maintenance schedules and site visitation practices to minimize human activity during these critical periods. 

ü  Prohibit food or beverages (other than water) on the mountain.

ü  Prohibit public tours during the fall mating season or in the spring, when the cubs are first born. 

Research indicates that the bears are as active now as they were before construction.  Bear use of the corridors is the heaviest in the spring and fall months in a region in the center of the project.  Therefore, scheduling the most intensive maintenance for mid-summer and restricting human site visitation activity to the northern-most portions of the project area complement the goal of reducing effects on black bear populations.

Wind Power

Birds. 

ü  We studied bird migratory patterns.

ü  Many scientific studies were prepared prior to the construction of the facility and in the months after its completion.  All studies are available at  www.northeastwind.com/whatwevedone/searsburg.html

ü  The migratory studies indicated that the site is not in any bird migratory paths.

ü  Studies of bird impacts from the facility strongly suggest that the Searsburg site does not pose a threat to avian populations that breed on the site or migrate through the site. 

Berlin #5 Generating Plant (kerosene plant)

Nearby ecosystems and habitats, including nearby surface water.

ü  In 2005, we completed a new stormwater retention pond and treatment system to help protect the local environment from pollution.

ü  The new stormwater treatment system collects stormwater run-off from the site to assure that pollutants are not able to reach local waterways. 

Transmission Corridors

Various flora and fauna, including several endangered species.  Utility corridors may cross sensitive areas.

ü  We have eliminated the use of herbicides in our maintenance programs for these corridors.

ü  We limit our access to these corridors except for line maintenance and during power restoration.

ü  According to the Vermont Department of Wildlife, transmission corridors offer opportunities for several species of plants and animals to breed and thrive.