Sélune: the work on the Vezins dam is coming to an end!

Since March, and in view of the health crisis, the Vezins works carried out by the DDTM 50 has been at a standstill. Only the central pier and the foundations remain today. With some delay, the work will resume until September so that the Sélune can finally be reopened. On the La Roche-qui-boit dam downstream, the only one remaining to date, EDF, the project manager for the site, will launch the sediment management work in June 2020. The final emptying of the reservoir is scheduled for April 2021 and the deconstruction of the dam at the end of 2021-early 2022.

>> More info on our dedicated pages

Europe unveils its Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 : by 2030, the 27 will have to have freed up 25 000 km of rivers

On Wednesday 20 May, Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the Green Deal, and Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius unveiled the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Linked to the Green Deal, this strategy aims to halt the loss of terrestrial, lake and marine biodiversity.

Within this framework, strong announcements concern rivers and the restoration of ecological continuity. In 2021 the Member States will have to list the obstacles to the free movement of rivers and the restoration of flood plains. By 2030, the 27 will have to have freed up 25 000 km of rivers. The work of the NGOs, and the Dam Removal Europe coalition, to achieve these announcements has been effective.

With the Water Framework Directive (which we hope will be kept as ambitious by the European Commission despite the pressures – see our Living Rivers Europe page for more information) and now the Biodiversity Strategy and the Green Deal, all is there: the objectives, public policies and tools. So let’s get to work!

Link to the official communication of the European Commission

An overview of the Sélune conference by the AFB has just been published

The French Agency for Biodiversity has just published its latest issue :

– Effacement de barrages, Quand la Sélune reprend son cours, – 24 au 26 septembre 2019, Les Rencontres, OFB, n°70,  déc.2019, french
– Dam removal: The Sélune River free to run – 24 to 26 september 2019, Les Rencontres, OFB, n°70,  déc.2019, english

This 6-page issue is entirely devoted to the Sélune conference held from September 24 to 26 in Rennes and Avranches.

A more detailed 60-page book on the conference communications is also being prepared.

Presse release : Conference ” Selune Valley Revival” success on all fronts !

Communiqué de presse du 20 octobre 2019

download press release (in french only)

Du 24 au 26 septembre 2019,s’est tenu à Rennes et à Avranches le 5ème colloque international sur la restauration de la continuité écologique des cours d’eau et les effacements de barrages. L’excellent accueil des partenaires locaux, des services de l’Etat, mais aussi des différents prestataires a permis à tous d’apprécier, en plus des conférences, la gastronomie et les paysages locaux. European Rivers Network les remercie encore vivement.

Cet évènement réussi a suscité l’intérêt d’un large public démontré par le nombre et la diversité d’acteurs présents (plus de 200 participants de 20 pays différents, acteurs locaux ou nationaux, élus, services de l’Etat, gestionnaires, entreprises privées, associations).

Afin qu’un plus large public bénéficie des débats du colloque, European Rivers Network a mis en ligne l’ensemble des 26 présentations,en français et en anglais,depuis la page internet du colloque sur www.ern.org. Par ailleurs, ERN étudie, avec ses partenaires,la possibilité d’offrir une restitution synthétique et grand public du colloque, sous une forme qui reste à définir.

Pour les participants,l’évènement a tenu ses promesses, les échanges ont été très riches. Le colloque a notamment permis de motiver les acteurs qui travaillent avec engagement pour restaurer la qualité des rivières, de faire connaître et vivre leur réseau, de partager des retours d’expériences français et internationaux,utiles pour de futurs projets et de prendre conscience de l’impact sociologique de l’arasement d’un grand barrage.L’excellence technique d’un tel projet doit se doubler d’une véritable«ingénierie sociale», c’est-à-dire d’une réelle concertation locale, allant bien au-delà de l’enquête publique.

«Au-delà du «pour» ou «contre» le projet d’arasement de la Sélune, ce sont les échanges, les leçons apprises durant le colloque et les appels à l’apaisement et à la concertation qui doivent être retenus et entendus. Le pourquoi de l’enlèvement des barrages, nécessaire pour l’intérêt collectif, mais mal compris, ne doit pas continuer de bloquer les volontés d’avancer et les initiatives déjà nombreuses sur le territoire.Le projet de la Sélune est unique d’un point de vue technique et scientifique:nous souhaitons pour ce magnifique territoire que l’intelligence collective fasse émerger un projet d’avenir porté localement sur la Sélune libre.»dit Roberto Epple,Président-fondateur d’ERN.

Ce colloque aura aussi montré que la Sélune n’est pas un cas isolé, que partout en Europe et au-delà, depuis 20 ans, des acteurs relèvent avec succès le défi fou de restaurer les habitats de nos derniers poissons migrateurs, nos vallées et la qualité de l’eau pour tous les usagers.Le prochain colloque sur la continuité écologique et les effacements de barrages aura lieu en Allemagne (Bavière) au Printemps 2020.

Colloque Sélune Rennes

Selune Valley Revival: a successful international conference!

The International Dam removal Conference held from the 24th to the 26th of September, organised by ERN with support from numerous partners was a great success. Participants came from 20 countries and three continents with 30% from the local, Rennes-Avranches region.

The day preceding the conference itself participants and the locals attended a debate “Salmon in our rivers: myth or reality?” organized by Brittany Great Migrators for the International Year of the Salmon.

Interaction was lively and diverse, beginning with a discussion on the importance of ecological continuity for rivers. The presentation of dam removal projects in France and abroad including feedback, has come to remind us that the restoration of ecological continuity is a transcontinental movement affecting all countries. Benefits to the quality of our rivers and territories are very real. Examples presented show just how much French territory profits from a committed, leading policy in this field.

Central to the debates was the Sélune river, with the presentation of work in progress including the first results of the remarkable scientific monitoring program coordinated by INRA, which has taken place over the past fifteen years. This didn’t leave out the sociological issues of dam removal, indeed they were put at the heart of the dialogue via the restitution of the sociological study conducted on the Sélune with strong participation and expressions of their feelings by the association of the Friends of the Dams. Hopefully many positions were understood from all sides.

In summary, a fascinating conference with a lot of ideas exchanged in a pleasant atmosphere, and in the beautiful setting of Rennes and the wonderful bay of Mont Saint Michel and Vallée de Sélune!

Thank big you to all participants, stakeholders, and funding partners for making this event possible.

More infos https://www.ern.org/en/colloque-international-selune/

> Presentations, talks and more informations  

24-26 sept : Seminary “Selune revival” : great success !

From Septemebr 24-26  will be held a International seminary on the large scale damremoval and the revival of the Sélune Valey in Rennes/Avranches (Mont aint Michel) ; It is the 5th international symposium on the restoration of ecological continuity of rivers!
The conference, will bring together 200 people from 20 different countries as well as from the Sélune River region … !!

> more informations about the event and the organisation

> Read Press Release (French Only)

 

40 % of Vezin Dam Remova completed l

The largest european dam removal is under way. 40 % of the 37 m dam are dismanteld today.

Photos and videos are availabe on demande.

Normally the removal the dam itselfs will be completed end of september, just in time with the international dam removal seminary helt in Rennes and Avranchen (Mont Saint Michel) September 24- 26 organised  by ERN and its partners.

More on the the Sélune dam removals

Sélune: the demolition of the Vezins dam on the way

It is a historic moment for Sélune! In recent days the cranes are at work on the left side of the dam and started the deconstruction of Vezins dam itself.

By the end of May the machines were present on site to dismantle the old hydroelectric power plant and make work to be transparent to floods. In this way in June three big openings (4X5meters each) were realized and the three bottom sluices open allowing passage of centennial floods.

In a few weeks another gear will come into action. Already installed at the foot of the dam this crane and 55 meters long articulated arm will dismount the central part of the dam.

Work are schedulde throughout the summer and until the fall.

The international media cover the Selune case : among others the international network of WWF, the BBC, AL Jazeera, La Vanguardia and Eldiario in Spain, Dennik N in Slovakia will report on the spot.

More about the project and the steps that led to this decision, see our dedicated page

 

New Poutès : the three sluices will be removed at the end of this summer

The work for the new Poutès in the upper part of the Allier basin (France) is ongoing. And we will soon have an important momentum in the history of the Poutès dam. Indeed, at the end of the summer, the three sluices, each 14x5m and 20 tons, will be removed from the structure.

Since the end of May, the reservoir is completely emptied, revealing the old bed of the Allier river.

The bottom sluice gate is fully open. The machines will soon invest the area. A platform that will remain until 2021 (expected end of works) will be installed in front of the dam to allow work on the structure. A crane will then take the sluice, put them on the platform, where they will be cut before joining a revaluation workshop. The reservoir will be refill during the winter 2019. The removal of a part of the dam itself will then continue during spring of 2020 after the smolts downstream migration.

See schedule for work until 2021, and the history of Poutès dam in our dedicated webpage

Reminder, the Poutès dam will be lowered by 10 meters (now it is 17m) and completely retrofit to facilitate fish migration and sediment transport.

© Louis Sauvadet – APS – 31 mai 2019

24-26 sept.2019 : International conference on dam removal Register now !

The final program is well on the way ! The last major speakers have already confirmed their participation like the French Ministry of Environment and the French National Federation of Fishing, as well as representatives of the State of Massachusetts (US) and the Danish University (DK).

Of course, Sélune river – the erasing of its dams but also the future of the valley- will be the feature project with varied presentations from State, scientists, local actors !

You will learn more about French and European state of the art in establishing ecological contuinity with a focus on removal and the current results of Amber project. And also about the economic benefits of dam erasures.

Many interesting examples will be introduced by speakers from France, Spain, Japan and Finland, etc.

At the end of the second day, you will have the opportunity to visit the “Mont Saint Michel”, and, the day after, to go on field of Selune Valley.

More info and registration