Predicting environmental mitigation requirements for hydropower projects through the integration of biophysical and socio-political geographies

Bevelhimer, Mark S.; DeRolph, Christopher R.; Schramm, Michael P.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.099

Title: Predicting environmental mitigation requirements for hydropower projects through the integration of biophysical and socio-political geographies

Full Record
Other Related Research

Abstract

Uncertainty about environmental mitigation needs at existing and proposed hydropower projects makes it difficult for stakeholders to minimize environmental impacts. Hydropower developers and operators desire tools to better anticipate mitigation requirements, while natural resource managers and regulators need tools to evaluate different mitigation scenarios and order effective mitigation. Here we sought to examine the feasibility of using a suite of multidisciplinary explanatory variables within a spatially explicit modeling framework to fit predictive models for future environmental mitigation requirements at hydropower projects across the conterminous U.S. Using a database comprised of mitigation requirements from more than 300 hydropower project licenses, we were able to successfully fit models for nearly 50 types of environmental mitigation and to apply the predictive models to a set of more than 500 non-powered dams identified as having hydropower potential. The results demonstrate that mitigation requirements have been a result of a range of factors, from biological and hydrological to political and cultural. Furthermore, project developers can use these models to inform cost projections and design considerations, while regulators can use the models to more quickly identify likely environmental issues and potential solutions, hopefully resulting in more timely and more effective decisions on environmental mitigation.

Authors:

Bevelhimer, Mark S. ^[1]; DeRolph, Christopher R. ^[1]; Schramm, Michael P. ^[1]

Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:: 2016-06-06

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1256815

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1328578

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Science of the Total Environment

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 566-567; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0048-9697

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 13 HYDRO ENERGY; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; hydropower; mitigation; modeling; prediction; environmental; sociopolitical

Citation Formats


                    Bevelhimer, Mark S., DeRolph, Christopher R., and Schramm, Michael P.. Predicting environmental mitigation requirements for hydropower projects through the integration of biophysical and socio-political geographies.  United States: N. p., 2016. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.099.

Copy to clipboard


                    Bevelhimer, Mark S., DeRolph, Christopher R., & Schramm, Michael P.. Predicting environmental mitigation requirements for hydropower projects through the integration of biophysical and socio-political geographies.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.099

Copy to clipboard


                    Bevelhimer, Mark S., DeRolph, Christopher R., and Schramm, Michael P.. Mon .  
"Predicting environmental mitigation requirements for hydropower projects through the integration of biophysical and socio-political geographies".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.099.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1256815.

Copy to clipboard


                    
@article{osti_1256815,

  title        = {Predicting environmental mitigation requirements for hydropower projects through the integration of biophysical and socio-political geographies},

  author       = {Bevelhimer, Mark S. and DeRolph, Christopher R. and Schramm, Michael P.},

  abstractNote = {Uncertainty about environmental mitigation needs at existing and proposed hydropower projects makes it difficult for stakeholders to minimize environmental impacts. Hydropower developers and operators desire tools to better anticipate mitigation requirements, while natural resource managers and regulators need tools to evaluate different mitigation scenarios and order effective mitigation. Here we sought to examine the feasibility of using a suite of multidisciplinary explanatory variables within a spatially explicit modeling framework to fit predictive models for future environmental mitigation requirements at hydropower projects across the conterminous U.S. Using a database comprised of mitigation requirements from more than 300 hydropower project licenses, we were able to successfully fit models for nearly 50 types of environmental mitigation and to apply the predictive models to a set of more than 500 non-powered dams identified as having hydropower potential. The results demonstrate that mitigation requirements have been a result of a range of factors, from biological and hydrological to political and cultural. Furthermore, project developers can use these models to inform cost projections and design considerations, while regulators can use the models to more quickly identify likely environmental issues and potential solutions, hopefully resulting in more timely and more effective decisions on environmental mitigation.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.099},

  journal      = {Science of the Total Environment},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 566-567,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2016},

  month        = {6}

}

Copy to clipboard

Journal Article:

Free Publicly Available Full Text

Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Publisher's Version of Record

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.099

Other availability

Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal

Citation Metrics:

Cited by: 4 works

Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Export Metadata

Save to My Library

Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections:

Assessment of Dissolved Oxygen Mitigation at Hydropower Dams Using an Integrated Hydrodynamic/Water Quality/Fish Growth Model

Technical Report Bevelhimer, Mark S ; Coutant, Charles C

Dissolved oxygen (DO) in rivers is a common environmental problem associated with hydropower projects. Approximately 40% of all FERC-licensed projects have requirements to monitor and/or mitigate downstream DO conditions. Most forms of mitigation for increasing DO in dam tailwaters are fairly expensive. One area of research of the Department of Energy's Hydropower Program is the development of advanced turbines that improve downstream water quality and have other environmental benefits. There is great interest in being able to predict the benefits of these modifications prior to committing to the cost of new equipment. In the case of turbine replacement or modification,more »« less
https://doi.org/10.2172/934797

Full Text Available
Stream Classification Tool User Manual: For Use in Applications in Hydropower-Related Evironmental Mitigation

Technical Report McManamay, Ryan A. ; Troia, Matthew J. ; DeRolph, Christopher R. ; ...

Stream classifications are an inventory of different types of streams. Classifications help us explore similarities and differences among different types of streams, make inferences regarding stream ecosystem behavior, and communicate the complexities of ecosystems. We developed a nested, layered, and spatially contiguous stream classification to characterize the biophysical settings of stream reaches within the Eastern United States (~ 900,000 reaches). The classification is composed of five natural characteristics (hydrology, temperature, size, confinement, and substrate) along with several disturbance regime layers, and each was selected because of their relevance to hydropower mitigation. We developed the classification at the stream reach levelmore »« less
https://doi.org/10.2172/1240565

Full Text Available
Organizing environmental flow frameworks to meet hydropower mitigation needs

Journal Article McManamay, Ryan A. ; Brewer, Shannon K. ; Jager, Henriette I. ; ... - Environmental Management

The global recognition of the importance of natural flow regimes to sustain the ecological integrity of river systems has led to increased societal pressure on the hydropower industry to change plant operations to improve downstream aquatic ecosystems. However, a complete reinstatement of natural flow regimes is often unrealistic when balancing water needs for ecosystems, energy production, and other human uses. Thus, stakeholders must identify a prioritized subset of flow prescriptions that meet ecological objectives in light of realistic constraints. Yet, isolating aspects of flow regimes to restore downstream of hydropower facilities is among the greatest challenges of environmental flow sciencemore »« less
Cited by 13
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-016-0726-y

Full Text Available
The Integrated Basin-Scale Opportunity Assessment Initiative: Pilot Assessment for the Deschutes River Basin

Technical Report Larson, Kyle B. ; Niehus, Sara E. ; Tagestad, Jerry D. ; ...

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind and Water Power Technologies Office provided funding to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Argonne National Laboratory to develop an approach for assessing a river basin as an integrated system within the context of existing uses and environmental conditions to identify opportunities for sustainable hydropower development and environmental improvements. Called the Integrated Basin-Scale Opportunity Assessment Initiative (BSOA Initiative), the project is one of seven action items of the March 24, 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Sustainable Hydropower. Early efforts of the BSOA Initiative focused on formingmore »« less
https://doi.org/10.2172/1962099

Full Text Available
Cost of Fish Exclusion and Passage Technologies for Hydropower

Technical Report Matson, Paul G. ; Stewart, Kevin M. ; Oladosu, Gbadebo A. ; ...

Hydropower represents a reliable source of renewable energy and accounts for approximately 7% of the total electrical generation in the United States. Future expansion of hydropower is likely to be in the form of either smaller new stream development projects or powering existing non-powered dams. For these new projects to be successful, careful analysis of risks, costs, and uncertainty to offset reduced power production as well as ensuring the protection and safe passage of migratory fish to gain public support, will be required. Exclusion and passage are two common approaches to protect fish from entrainment and impingement at hydropower facilities.more »« less
https://doi.org/10.2172/1968709

Full Text Available

Similar Records