Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)

Energy Ottawa is a fully-owned subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa, and is Ontario's largest municipally-ownedx000D
provider of green power. Their largest facility is located at Chaudière falls, a site with local and Nationalx000D
historic importance located adjacent to Parliament Hill. Their Chaudière Falls Expansion Project is currentlyx000D
underway, and the new facilities will begin operating in summer 2017. In addition to providing open publicx000D
space and recognition of Canada's First nations and Ottawa's industrialist past, the goal of this project is tox000D
produce renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way. In particular, the project was designed tox000D
have minimal impacts on the aquatic environment, with an emphasis on the endangered (in Ontario) Americanx000D
Eel. The expansion project will include the installation of an eel ladder to offer an upstream migration routex000D
for juveniles, as well as safe downstream passage for adults. Downstream mortality is particularly problematicx000D
for the species, and cost-effective solutions are limited particularly on large rivers. Energy Ottawa is in thex000D
process of installing a technologically innovative solution that includes a screen to prevent fish from enteringx000D
the turbines, coupled with bypass channels that provide safe passage around the turbines. This also required ax000D
re-design of the forebay channel to ensure that water velocities were low enough for fish to avoid impingementx000D
on the screen. Screens and bypass channels have been installed successfully on smaller rivers, but this is thex000D
first time that this technology has been used in Ontario and on such a large river. This technology has thex000D
potential to minimize or eliminate turbine mortality for American Eel during downstream migration whilex000D
continuing to produce clean, renewable energy in a profitable manner. Dr. Cooke and his team would assist thex000D
industry partner in evaluating the biological response to the safe downstream passage technology usingx000D
defensible research methods. Does it work? And if not, how could the infrastructure be refined to improvex000D
outcomes for American Eel? Such research is essential to maintain the social contract with the community andx000D
to ensure that Energy Ottawa has scientific knowledge to inform their interactions with provincial and federal