Grant: Research Networks

NSERC'S HYDRONET: A NATIONAL RESEARCH NETWORK. TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE HYDROPOWER AND HEALTHY AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS. CONTEXT: The 470+ hydroelectric facilities distributed across the country generate 60% of the electricity used by Canadians. The rising demand for energy and the interest in renewable energy will require additional facilities and increased production of existing installations. Hydropower, however, affects water distribution and movement within and among watersheds and the physical, chemical, and biological processes in aquatic ecosystems. While it is desirable that environmental stewardship attributes of hydroelectric facilities parallel their performance at producing electricity, achievement of the former objective is impeded by the difficulties associated with accurately estimating the effects of hydropower on aquatic ecosystems. The Canadian Electricity Association, responsible for delivering reliable and affordable electricity, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, responsible for protecting fish and their habitats, have agreed by means of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2002, that sustainable hydropower can only be achieved by the establishment of a cooperative working partnership aimed at better understanding the effects of electricity generation on the environment. The proposed national research network, NSERC's HydroNet, constitutes the realization of such a partnership. The GENERAL OBJECTIVE of NSERC's HydroNet is to promote sustainable hydropower in Canada via a better understanding of the effects of hydroelectric facilities on aquatic ecosystems. Through coordinated national efforts, NSERC's HydroNet will supply new knowledge about the effects of hydropower on abiotic and biotic processes. Science-based practical solutions will provide govel111nent and industry resource managers with new tools to assess, mitigate, and minimise potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems, and to reduce conflict among stakeholders.