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Residents of Appleton say the Mississippi River is kept artificially high by a power dam downstream in Almonte, and this is drowning a large wetland forest along the river’s banks.
The Appleton Wetland, covering about six kilometres of both banks between Almonte and Appleton, is listed as a provincially significant wetland. Its red maples are meant to be flooded for some of the year, but they also need to dry out in summer so that air can reach their roots.
Now the Appleton Community Association is asking the operators of the Enerdu Power Systems dam to lower the dam for part of the year and let the river level drop.
Enerdu was founded by a local family but now belongs to Thomas Cavanaugh Construction. The main Enerdu dam is a concrete structure, its origins dating back to a flour mill built in the 1800s. No problem with that, says Appleton resident Mike O’Malley.
But the operators can also add a temporary structure to raise the level of the dam about half a metre. When water falls from a higher point it generates more electricity.
The Ministry of Natural Resources has had a water management plan for the river since 2006, O’Malley said. “It’s since that plan came into effect that we’ve had this problem.”
He calls the forest “a mess of dead and dying trees.”
The plan sets acceptable water levels. These allow the dam to stay at the higher level all summer.
O’Malley argues this has drowned large sections of forest upriver. Changes there might have gone unnoticed, but he happens to own an airplane, and has flown over the wetland to photograph it.
His photos from earlier years show green trees, but today there’s a wide swath of brown trees near the river’s edge and green ones on higher ground.
Next week he’ll ask Mississippi Mills council “to make a request to the owner of the dam . to voluntarily not use the flash board system which raises the water level,” he said.
John Edwards, a Mississippi Mills councillor, says the wetland is valuable ecologically.
“It appears that there has been a change in the water levels by one of the operators in Almonte,” he said. “What Mike is drawing attention to is: Who’s looking after this? Because the change appears to have a dramatic negative impact on the wetland.”
Edwards says the MNR appears to be the responsible agency, but Mississippi Mills still has an interest in the state of its river.
“It would be dreadful if we absolutely inadvertently destroyed the Appleton wetland.”
The Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists staked out five test sites Tuesday where they will check forest water levels through the summer.
Ron Campbell, who manages the project, says the Enerdu dam has obeyed all the rules in the water management plan. That plan was established with input from all parties up and down the river, he said.
On questions of ecology, “I would refer you to the biological experts at the MNR and the folks at the conservation authority,” he said. “The dam has operated the same way for decades. In our view we’re following all the rules.”
O’Malley concedes that the dam is not breaking rules, but says the rules need work.
“The hydro plant only makes 0.3 megawatts. It’s a minor contributor (of electricity) but a major ecological detractor,” he said. “A very small plant, but it’s sure making a mess.”
The MNR says it does not know why the trees are dying. “It could be any number of things,” said Sarah Nugent of the Kemptville office.
Possibilities include “natural processes, disease, insects, water levels, historical weather patterns -for instance we’ve had summers recently with really high levels of precipitation.”
There could be broad-scale environmental changes or management practices, or a combination of problems.
She noted that the water management plan represents years of work and consultation, but also said that the plan can be amended if there’s evidence that it is causing trouble.
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