DRE launch today the dam removal progress report for 2022

The latest report uncovers a surprising figure of (at least) 325 barriers have been removed in 16 European countries – a new record! As in 2021, most of the removed barriers were weirs, as these structures have a high probability of being old and obsolete and can be removed in a cost-efficient way. But large dams such as the Roche-qui-boit dam in France (16m high) are also among the 2022 achievements.

Several factors have contributed to the new numbers such as newly available funding opportunities, like the Open Rivers Programme, the coordinated efforts of national and regional public authorities to report removed barriers, and the hype created by findings of last year’s report disseminated all around Europe.

Given the latest developments in European climate policy and the Commission’s proposal for a Nature Restoration Law, it is important to keep highlighting dam removal as a crucial tool to accomplish ecosystem restoration and celebrating success stories across Europe. Moreover, barrier removal also contributes to the global Freshwater Challenge to restore 300,000km of degraded rivers by 2030, a goal launched at the UN Water Conference held in New York in March. Besides pollution, habitat degradation, and over exploitation of natural resources, freshwater ecosystems face one major issue: dams.

It has been found that over 1,2 million barriers fragment European rivers, with many being obsolete. Among the several harmful consequences is biodiversity loss, with a decline of 93% in freshwater migratory fish populations in Europe and 76% on a global level. The alarming numbers ask for costeffective and efficient solutions to restore rivers. Dam removal has been paving its way in nature
restoration tools – a trend has been confirmed across Dam Removal Europe’s annual reports.

Read the press release

Read the report

Montpezat and water sharing: a hot topic

On the occasion of World Water Day on 22 March and with a particularly dry spring and tensions on the resource already high, the media in the Haute Loire did not fail to talk about water sharing and the project we are proposing around the renewal of the Montpezat concession. Read the special report and Roberto Epple’s interview in the Eveil de la Haute Loire newspaper (in french).

About our campaign on “water sharing”. Study case of the Upper Loire and Ardèche basins :
The Montpezat hydroelectric complex (138MW) takes water from the Loire which is turbined in a powerplant to the Ardèche basin. This case of interbasin water transfer, about 220 million m3/year from the Loire basin to the Rhône basin, is unique in Europe. Beyond the energy aspect, water sharing is an issue. An important question that could emerge elsewhere in future. The Montpezat hydroelectric complex will reach the end of its concession in 2029. EDF must not be the only actor around the negotiating table and the public debate must take place as soon as possible to understand and considerate the issues. Thus, ERN wishes to inform, raise awareness, and prepare citizens for better water resource sharing, drought management and energy production.

More info about Montpezat

 

Albania : River Vjosa becomes (Wild River) National Park (Pressrelease NGOs)

Radolfzell, Vienna, Tepelena – 15 March, 2023 At a formal ceremony in Tepelena this morning, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Minister of the Environment and Tourism Mirela Kumbaro declared the River Vjosa a Wild River National Park. As from today, the entire River Vjosa in Albania from its border with Greece to the Adriatic sea and its free flowing tributaries – a river system totalling more than 400 kilometres in length – have the very highest level of protection. This is something unique in Europe.

After more than ten years of unstinting efforts working for the preservation of one of the last wild rivers in Europe, EuroNatur, Riverwatch, EcoAlbania and many other conservationists and river activists are rejoicing over this great milestone. However, the river conservationists have not yet finished.

“We have fought long and hard with our partners for this day, with court hearings, petitions and discussions with those responsible in government and with local communities. Today we can celebrate,” says Annette Spangenberg, EuroNatur’s Head of Conservation. “Now we will continue campaigning for the other free-flowing tributaries and the river delta to be given protection so that the entirety of the Vjosa’s unique river eco-system can be preserved for ever.”

> read the pressrelease

Save the date : international colloquium “Des Saumons et des Hommes 3 ” 19-21 October 2023 – Brioude (France)

Ten years after the last meeting, SOS Loire Vivante – ERN is organising a new conference on the Loire salmon. This is an opportunity to take stock of the situation of the Atlantic salmon in the Loire and elsewhere. National and international experts will try to understand the reasons for the decline despite restoration efforts and whether our actions are still in line with current and future challenges.
Is it due to climate change or to phenomena at sea or in the river? During the health check and the presentation of the results of restoration actions, we will compare the case of the Loire with other highly migratory river basins such as the Rhine, the Elbe, the Adour, the Garonne, the Sélune, etc,
Are you interested in this event?

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Open letter: Counting on new hydropower to accelerate Renewable Energy deployment in Europe is irresponsible

ERN and more than 100 NGOs write to EU negotiators asking them to protect Europe’s rivers from new hydropower deployment in the revised Renewable Energy directive.
Already in 2020, 150 NGOs signed a manifesto asking EU decision-makers to stop new hydropower development in Europe.

Read the WWF press release:

 Ahead of the nextpolitical trilogue on the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, more than 100 NGOs are sending an open letter to co-legislators from the European Parliament, European Commission and Council Presidency, asking them to exclude new hydropower from go-to areas as well as to include sustainability criteria recognizing that hydropower has direct impacts on freshwater ecosystems which must be mitigated.

 Because hydropower potential has been so exploited already in Europe, new hydropower would only make a small contribution to the energy transition, while causing immense damage to our waterways. According to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022, freshwater species populations have seen the greatest overall global decline (83%), and within this species group, on average, monitored migratory fish populations have declined by 93% in Europe, making our continent the most affected.

Contact
Florian Cassier
Climate Communications Officer
fcassier@wwf.eu
+32 479 33 92 11

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Joint meeting of maritime and water directors: LRE calls for a commitment to raise ambitions for river restoration

Ahead of the joint meeting of maritime and water directors on 29 November 2022, the Living Rivers Europe coalition is sending a letter to the water directors asking them to engage in the Council deliberations on the European Commission proposal for the Nature Restoration Law to:

● Raise the barrier removal target to 15% of EU river length (178,000 km) restored to a free-flowing state by 2030 and make it legally binding;
● Remove the highlight given to exemptions to the Water Framework Directive objectives and TEN-T regulation to ensure proper implementation;
● Prioritise barrier removals according to the ecological potential of the removal, in particular the connectivity between marine and freshwater ecosystems;
● Increase the intermediary percentage targets laid out in Article 4 for the restoration and re-establishment of areas and the restoration of habitats of species, and shorten the timeline for reaching 100%, as this article also covers some freshwater ecosystems and those restoration actions would also complement the action on river connectivity;
● Recognise the need to expand the EU financing support available for free-flowing river restoration in addition to the sources identified in the EU Guidance on barrier removal for river restoration, for example, through the establishment of dedicated funding for nature restoration, pursuant to the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework.

Around exemptions from the WFD objectives :

● Make full use of the measures provided by the Water Framework Directive and other EU rules to bring Europe’s waters to good status as soon as possible and by 2027 the latest
● Do proper cost benefit analysis before applying exemptions and include long-term costs such as costs related to climate change in the decision-making
● Do proper economic analysis and put in place economic instruments for cost recovery for the coal sector, including mine drainage fees and adequate fees for cooling water abstraction that account for the external costs of operation. Earmark the revenues for restoration measures.

Read letter 

Loire / Rhone-Ardèche basins in France : Watertransfer by solidarity ? Webinary 15 nov 16h-18h

This online webinar, the 2nd episode, out of a total of 4, will explain, using the example of the particularly dry summer of 2022, how the Montpezat hydroelectric complex and the diversion of around 200 million M3 of water from the Loire to the Ardèche worked. How was the support of low water levels and the sharing of water between the two basins organised? Who decided what?
1 hour of debate + 1 hour of questions and answers live.

>  Infos and  subscribing  in FRENCH ONLY

> more information o,n the Hydropower complex of Montpezat

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Open Rivers Programme : 2 Q&R sessions on November

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Book Cover

France: The New Poutès dam, partialy removed and now transparent will be inaugurated Oct. 24 – A book will be published

After a long struggle over 30 years, the New Poutès dam on the Upper Allier River, tributary of the Loire River, is officially inaugurated on 24 October 2022.

The dam, which was partialy removed from 20 m to 7 m, is now equipped with a fish lift and two huge gates. They are fully opened every year for 3 months and during floods and ensure good passage, especially for Europe’s last wild salmon. The downstream migration is also guaranteed by the low dam height of 6 m and the reduction of the length of the dam from 3.5 km to about 0.5 km. The project allow also the fully restoration of 20 km of the Allier River.

The “Nouveau Poutès” project has been co-constructed over the last 10 years by EDF, NGOs including ERN-SOS Loire Vivante, the municipalities and other stakeholders and can be described as the result of collective intelligence.
A book will be released in November 17 (in french only) > order the book and info in french

> more information on the “Nouveau Poutès” project