Onimiki Reserve flow negotiations

Before the dam at Laniel was refurbished in 2005 it leaked water at its base at a rate of 30 cms.

This enabled navigation of the river all summer long.

The refurbished dam, it was warned by Les Amis, would wickedly enabled the perfect diversion of water from the river.

The judge cited in Federal case T-452-06   that the water releases would continue as they had historically been done.

CEAA requires that cummulative environmental effects be considered...Before the dam at Laniel was refurbished in 2005 it leaked water at its base at a rate of 30 cms.

That is the minimum reserve requirement of the Kipawa river. Would you be prepared to fight for that?

Further, the Kipawa receives additional flows throughout the paddling season.  The weekends of the rally are up to 300 cms and beyond.

Are you willing to fight for that?

For comparison look to the AWA's struggle to prevent diversion of the Ocoee River.

A cubic meter is about 35 cubic feet.

On the Ocoee

The work of the AWA has been outstanding.but they have money and people.

We need.

1. A water management plan including:

a)schedule of releases

b)an acceptable reserve flow

Consult with MKC regarding the Bark Lake Dam agreement

c) an accepted representation

Middle Ocoee has 116 day of release per year.  TVA says avg. flow is 1,250 cfs.  Guaranteed flows of at least 1,100 cfs although it varies a bit due to inflows.  When not releasing for recreation, the power project provides up to 21 megawatts of hydro.   Releases for recreation are on weekends April, May, September, and October and Thursday through Monday, June, July and August.  Some years, there is a release on the last weekend in March.

River drops 269 feet over 5 miles from put-in to take-out

River Preservation is the issue

The judicial review was about keeping the water going through the dam, putting facts on the record, making sure the Kipawa continued to be navigable.

The judges decision comments specifically on this point.

FEDERAL COURT CASE T-452-06

https://decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca/fc-cf/decisions/en/item/54660/index.do?q=Les+amis&fbclid=IwY2xjawMuWgBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqwwRYM8xQZOebplgfPwcA0paLvgpF9azxnMPEovao38Lb8eBvLNRKXuXcYU_aem_5Bp7brinXWtaq-pwqBNfYA

Note: in this case their bad decision was not illegal..their process was bad. The recourse was a new EA, we did not get it.

 The point is single minded  development...and that is the environment today- ram infrastructure projects through, and native reconciliation.

First the officials said navigation was illegal and wrongly cited the Dam Safety Act. We proved that it was the dam itself that was illegal having never been approved.

Then officials said it was unsafe. We proved that dam had been safely navigated over a period of long standing, 40+ years and heavily attended whitewater festivals.

Finally officials said that that the loss of the right to navigate the dam was insignificant. We then saw the creation of Opemican National Park...and then the image of the Grand Chute appeared on the back of the Canada 150th anniversary ten dollar bill.

Project proponents including their bureaucratic enablers are not going to protect anything. Neither will the legal system.

People need to mobilize. People power alone will stop them.

Concerning water management of flows on the Madawaska River at MKC.

From Claudia

How we came to the whitewater releases as OPG calls them, was a long time ago – my parents felt that 900 cfs on the middle Mad was the ideal water flow for both kayak/canoe and rafting. They asked Ontario Hydro “how much water needs to flow downstream over a 7-day period, even in a drought year.” This came to 26 hours at 900cfs, (26cms) which was based on the average flow required through the Arnprior waste management system, daily: 10cms. The minimum flow to maintain healthy aqua life is 3-5cms. 

My parents chose 6.5hours of whitewater release (26cms) per day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 9:30-4pm. Weekends would have been overtime, and charged for a release. 

The middle Mad is located between two release dams: Bark Lake and Palmer. The minimum flow at Palmer is 10cms which meets this requirement. 

It is a unique set up in that whitewater releases aren’t impeding power generation demands

Caveat:

You think it might be fair? The bureaucrats are paid to see that the project goes through. They are not your "friends".

Many are more conerned, understandably about their jobs, their pensions...and will simple tow the line.

They will collude, and conspire.

They will focus on their objectives, msybe they will be bribed.

Some move between government and private firms to work.

In the end, it is the resource, the river that always loses.