urbanMSP

Exciting!

Is removing 18MW of renewable energy capacity really something we want to do? It's not a huge amount compared to, say, a full-scale wind farm, but still.

One megawatt powers anywhere between 500 to 1000 homes, depending on the time of year and the type of home. Hydroelectricity is renewable and fairly reliable. Maybe in previous decades removing the dam and restoring the rapids might be the environmentalist position, but in the age of climate change, it shouldn't be.

Is there any way for us to try and get construction of 18MW of wind or solar + battery storage as a condition for the project?

Large scale hydroelectric projects often cause more environmental damage than benefit. Not only do they completely alter the river ecosystem, but the rotting vegetation trapped in the stagnant pools emits a significant amount of methane, which is about 30 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. That is less of a concern in the case of a small dam like this one. Even so, I would be surprised if the hydroelectric operation remained economically feasible if/when the Corps stops subsidizing the dam. With minimal river traffic utilizing the lock, USACE will almost certainly determine that it is not in the federal interest to continue to maintain the facility. Any private company that took over the hydro operation would be solely responsible for maintaining the aging dam and infrastructure. I just don't see it happening. Concern was raised about the loss of hydro power at the American Rivers community input meeting last summer so hopefully project leaders will craft a plan for replacement. On the American Rivers' "Restore the Gorge" project website, replacing the lost power with other renewables is listed as a topic that they will be researching going forward.

It’s worth noting that the 18 MW capacity of the dam is only as much energy as 9 typical 2 MW wind turbines running at capacity, or about how much energy 20 of those turbines would generate in a year in MN...a rather small wind farm. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to how much we’re gaining from the Sherco coal plant (2,200 MW) being retired and replaced with solar and natural gas in a few years.

Meadowbrook Golf Course changes aren’t dead. Here is a look at a recent design from late April showing Creek remeandering with a trail connecting the Minnehaha Greenway to Todd Park in Edina.

I’d love to see Edina get started on running a couple block long trail along Brookside Ave, linking Grandview District to the Todd Park trailhead of the Minnehaha Greenway.
[IMG]//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201806 ... 105ab8.png[/IMG]

Two meetings are scheduled in July for the Minneapolis Locks Disposition Study. The study will examine the benefits and costs of continuing to operate the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam and Lock and Dam 1.

Monday, July 16, 6-8 p.m.
Mill City Commons public meeting space
704 Second St. S., Minneapolis, MN 55401

Tuesday, July 17, 6-8 p.m.
Highland Park Senior High School auditorium
1015 Snelling Ave S, Saint Paul, MN 55116

http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/MplsLocksDisposition/

https://www.americanrivers.org/endanger ... -gorge-mn/

It’s worth noting that the 18 MW capacity of the dam is only as much energy as 9 typical 2 MW wind turbines running at capacity, or about how much energy 20 of those turbines would generate in a year in MN...a rather small wind farm. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to how much we’re gaining from the Sherco coal plant (2,200 MW) being retired and replaced with solar and natural gas in a few years.

Also, over the last five years it looks like the dam has only generated about 45% of its 9.6 MW capacity (due to seasonal variations in streamflow), so it's really comparable to the production of about 5-6 typical wind turbines built in MN (2 MW turbines with annual production of about 35-45% of capacity). That covers a small fraction of a typical wind farm built nowadays. Info about the dam and its production can be found here: https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=MN

I wonder how much greater the economic impact will be for Mpls and St Paul if the dams were removed and the river was opened up for greater recreation? I feel like it could be a good economic impact study for the U of M.

Remember that there are currently two major rowing clubs (UofM and Minneapolis Rowing) on this stretch of the river that would be displaced under such a plan.

If scientists with authority on river issues and the health of the Mississippi recommend natural restoration, I'm going to say that's far more important than rowing.

The rowers can go above the Falls and maybe locate facilities in the redo along 2nd in N or the Scherer site. Their current facilities could be adapted for new recreational activities?

Has it been studied how the aging infrastructure would be affected? A lot of the embankments down there are already looking kind of wonky.

More on restoring the gorge.

https://www.americanrivers.org/2018/06/ ... ver-gorge/

I don't suppose the bridge stone displaced by the truss section was stored somewhere.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

More on restoring the gorge.

https://www.americanrivers.org/2018/06/ ... ver-gorge/

I see they're still parading that whitewater kayak photo around town. :eyeroll:

There's a survey here, but more interesting is a lot of ideas for improving the parks along the Mississippi River gorge.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9Y7PTCQ

Also, if you go to the last page of this document, there are some pretty interesting diagrams showing how the river would change with removal of the dams. There would be much more land along the shores and several islands.

https://www.minneapolisparks.org/_asset ... educed.pdf

To be clear, that is how the river looked in 1895, not how it would look if dams were removed.