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Open Rivers Programme call open and helpdesk support

the Open Rivers Programme call will be opening shortly, on 21 February.

 

The call will be for barrier identification projects, preparation and demolition. Just a reminder that ORP have also extended the opportunity for public entities to apply. There are however restrictions to consider, including 50% co-funding.

 

A DRE helpdesk is in place to support organisations from South Eastern Europe with their applications, an initiative coordinated by WWF, WFMF and ERN, through funding from Open Rivers Programme project “Scaling Up Dam Removal in South Eastern Europe”.

 

If you are thinking about developing a dam removal project, please join us in a series of meetings where we will explain more about Open Rivers Programme, help review your proposal and where you can gain valuable insights from ORP grantees.

 

Important information for those of you who are planning to submit an ORP

  1. Magda Jentgena from WWF Latvia will be presenting about her project on 22 Feb 11:00 CET. Please join us, to celebrate Magda’s work and to hear more about the Dam removal work in Latvia!
  2. There are a series of meetings to explain more about ORP funding and discuss the Expression of Interest and how we can help you in the process (introduction, review process & Q&A) hosted by the DRE Helpdesk. Please choose one of these dates to participate (28 Feb, 7 March, 14 March).
  3. If you would like to make use of the Helpdesk review process. The internal deadline is 14 March (this takes into account easter holidays).
  4. ORP will host a Q&A on 12 March at 16:00-17:00. This is coordinated by ORP. As soon as we have information regarding registration, we will let you know.

Read the helpdesk flyer to find out more about what we can do for you.

Let corinne.ronot@rivernet.org  know if you are taking part in one of these meetings, so that we can send you the links.

Historic milestone for rivers: Emptying of the Iron Gate dam on the Klamath River to prepare its removal

The largest dam removal and river restoration project in the history of the United States is taking a major step toward the removal of all hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River in northern California and southern Oregon. The drawdown (draining) of Iron Gate Reservoir began early January so that Iron Gate Dam can be removed later this year. Two other dams, Copco #1 and JC Boyle, will likewise begin to drain in the coming weeks and be fully removed in the summer/fall timeframe. Copco #2, the smallest of the four dams slated for removal, was demolished in October 2023.

IRONGATE dam Klamath

For more than 100 years, these artificial barriers have blocked the migration of several species, like salmon and steelhead trout, impeding them from reaching over 400 miles of habitat. Not only the animals have been harmed. Water quality has been severely damaged, impacting the Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk tribal communities whose livelihoods depend on a healthy river.

To turn the tide, this monumental project symbolizes a collective effort to repair a century of obstruction to fish migration, celebrate indigenous heritage, and ensure the long-term vitality of the Klamath River ecosystem. The project integrates the growing movement to remove more dams and free rivers across the USA, a trend that has also been scaling up in Europe in the past decade through the combined action of several organisations integrating the Dam Removal Europe coalition.

This article is an extract from the article published by Dam Removal Europe (read the complet article)

A dam project on the last wild stretch of the Rhône river!

The STOP Barrage Rhonergia collective is alerting the public to the construction by CNR of a hydroelectric dam on the last wild stretch of the Rhône river in the communes of St Romain de Jalionas (38) and Loyettes (01). This old-fashioned project, already abandoned in 1990, is a waste of public money, even though it will provide little energy. It is a project with irreversible impacts on an already fragile biodiversity.

Prior consultation on the Rhônergia project began on 1 December 2023, for a statutory period of 3 months, until 29 February 2024, in parallel with the initial studies.

You can consult the contributions on the consultation site managed by the CNDP by clicking on the following link ACCESS TO CONTRIBUTIONS and contribute yourself if you have any information.

Studies are available, including one by ZABR on the risks downstream of the project (drinking water supply for the Lyon conurbation, pollution, river level and temperature) https://concertation-rhonergia.fr/fr/documentation 

A call for alternative solutions has also been launched: https://concertation-rhonergia.fr/fr/la-concertation/les-alternatives-l-appel-a-contribution . These alternatives will be presented to the general public at the public meeting (open to all) on Tuesday 23 January 2024 in Saint-Vulbas.

Sign the petition to say no to the dam project: https://www.change.org/p/stop-au-barrage-rhonergia-sur-le-dernier-tron%C3%A7on-sauvage-du-fleuve-rh%C3%B4ne
For more information, see the collective’s website: https://www.stopbarrage.fr/ The collective is apolitical, made up of citizens from nearly 20 communes in our region.
Website dedicated to the consultation: https://concertation-rhonergia.fr/fr/le-projet

Read ERN-SOS Loire Vivante contribution

Our 2023-2024 webinars are online: flood risk, ecological continuity, hydric stress, etc.

With between 70 and 90 people registered for each webinar, SOS Loire Vivante – ERN is helping to raise awareness of the issues surrounding water and rivers.
Watch the replays of our webinars from December 2023 and January 2024 (french only):

9 January 2024: Flood risk: “How can technology help us respond better to flood risk?” more info and programme here
19 December 2023: Law, Hydro & Ecological Continuity, more info and programme here , organised in partnership with Réseau RivièresTV, the Centre de Ressources Cours d’eau and supported by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB)
5 December 2023: Water stress and water savings on the Allier, more info and programme here

All our webinars since 2020 (french only)

A special Montpezat rivernews has just been published!

Our latest Rivernews december / january 2024  is devoted entirely to the Montpezat hydroelectric complex and provides an update on the volumes stored and transferred in 2023. Allg figures are to be confirmed during January 2024 and will be updated if necessary on our dedicated webpages.

In 2023, 108.4 million m3 were transferred to the Ardèche (compared with 220 million m3 in the “best” years). Most of this, 100 Mio m3, was taken from the Loire in autumn and transferred in winter for peak electricity production. The significant drop in rainfall in autumn/winter resulted in a 50% reduction in winter turbines compared with the past. In spring, 9.4 Moi m3 were stored in the reservoirs on the Loire side and used to support the low-water levels of the Ardèche (8.4 Moi m3) and the Loire (1 Moi m3), in line with the low-water support objectives. The year 2023 had got off to a bad start, however, and it seemed impossible to fill the reservoirs at the La Palisse, Gage and Issarlès dams, but the weather came to the complex’s rescue in the last few weeks, just before the summer period, which means that the Issarlès lake must remain open to tourists.

See also our other articles:

  • Raising the La Palisse dam: good idea or bad idea?
  • Immersion at the Citizens’ March for equitable water sharing between the Loire and Ardèche rivers
  • Children send us a message: Some of the winners of the 2022-2023 edition of Rivière d’Images et Fleuves de Mots, environmental education project

Read our newsletter (in french only)

 

Figures for 2023
Volumes stored and transferred to the Ardèche or returned to the Loire

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Open Rivers Programme continues to support projects in France and across Europe

72 projects supported by the Open Rivers programme throughout Europe and a new call for projects underway

At the beginning of November 2023, the Open Rivers Programme* launched a new call for projects to provide financial support for the removal of weirs and dams. Applications can be sent in until 8 December.

After two years of the implementation of the Open Rivers Programme, 72 projects are supported throughout Europe, either underway or completed, contributing to the achievement of the objective of 25,000 km of freeflowing rivers by 2030 in Europe, voted on 09/11/2023 by the European Parliament as part of the Restoration Naturation Law. It is a significant support for restoring rivers in Europe, including in France where legislation to restore ecological continuity is frequently attacked to slow the momentum and hamper the efforts made by a community of stakeholders to restore our rivers effectively and sustainably in favour of energy issues of little interest.

France is one of the pioneers of the dam and weir removal movement in Europe, which began in 1998, and the results are encouraging, not only in terms of reconnecting river habitats but also in terms of increasing functionality and reducing the risk of flooding. Other European countries, such as Finland, Spain and Sweden, also see dam removal as a viable solution for restoring rivers. Elsewhere, however, tools are still lacking, particularly in Eastern Europe, to facilitate the implementation of such measures. This is why ERN, together with regional and international partners (World Fish Migration Foundation (WFMF), Fauna & Flora, MedINA Greece, Wetlands International (WI), WWF Netherlands, Slovakia, and Adria) are running a project with the Open Rivers Programme to facilitate and accelerate the removal of barriers in 4 target countries: Croatia, Greece, Romania and Slovakia. These countries have all the conditions needed to develop, inspire and raise awareness of the benefits of this tool for restoring nature: high ecological potential, emerging opportunities and projects, strong community involvement (more info).

In this context, WWF, WFMF and ERN are organising Q&A sessions to answer technical questions from potential projects on 15 and 20 November. Interested parties can contact corinne.ronot@rivernet.org  The next Open Rivers application session is scheduled for the end of February for all grant categories.

Latest news on French projects run by ERN and its local partners

Since 2021 and the launch of the programme, ERN has applied with several local partners for preliminary studies and works, and 6 projects have been selected.

In 2022-2023 ERN worked with the SYMBA on the Open Rivers Programme application to restore the Tardoire, an european eel river. After six months of works to removed four obsoletes weirs, the river was flowing again on more than 20 kms. After just a few months, the riverbed was unrecognisable, and habitats were quickly recreated (more info). To make this story happened Open Rivers Programme funded 100% of the works, because even the local stakeholders were all in favour of the project, the States at this moment was not in a position to finance such project. A 12 minutes movie in French and English subtitle relate the project and the stakeholders involvement.

Latest, ERN and its local partners obtained two new preliminary study projects for the removal of small obsolete weirs. One is located in the Eyrieux river basin (Ardèche catchement) and is run by the SMEC and the other is in the Branugues river basin (Cère and Dordogne catchement) and is run by the SMDMCA. These two projects are located in preserved area with high biodiversity potential and will allowed to reconnect habitats for fish (trout) and white-clawed crayfish, increase their range, and improve the resilience and morphology of the river. A great opportunity to restore the functionality of the river through a simple acte : remove obsolete barrieres on rivers.

More info

* Open Rivers Programme is a foundation funded by Arcadia which aims to restore endangered European rivers by supporting interventions that lead to the removal of small dams and the restoration of river flow and biodiversity.

 

Download press release 

A look back at the Conference Salmons an People 3, another step towards saving salmon

Over the two days of Thursday and Friday 19 and 20 October 2023, 100 people took part each day, with a total of 7 different nationalities (France, Germany, England, Ireland, Canada, Denmark and the United States) came to listen to original presentations and debate with speakers from all over France (from the Gaves, the Rhine, the Garonne and, of course, the Loire-Allier), as well as international experts, local players, government representatives, researchers, engineers, associations, hydro-electricity companies and other users (VNF, professional fishermen, recreational fishermen, etc.). ). The various presentations highlighted the current issues surrounding the conservation of wild salmon, from their impact on the high seas to the heart of the rivers.

 

In the run-up to the event, SOS Loire Vivante – ERN worked in partnership with schools and after-school care centres in the Loire basin on a project to raise awareness of the river and hold creative workshops on salmon. The paintings and works produced by the children were exhibited at the conference. Fifty students from the Brioude Bonnefont agricultural college, some of whom had taken part in the educational programme, attended the Thursday morning plenary session, and two Brioude nursery classes surprised us by visiting the exhibition on the Friday morning.

 

More than sixty people also took part in the meal organised at the Hotel Restaurant la Crèche, a venue that was once home to experienced salmon fishermen. During the meal, two 15-minute videos on restoring ecological continuity by removing dams were shown.

 

Friday afternoon marked a break with the rest of the programme by refocusing the discussions on the Loire. The round table provided an opportunity for constructive discussion, and for unblocking positions so that we could finally move towards a shared roadmap.

 

On Saturday, 35 people took part in the day’s visit, including some new participants. After a visit to the Maison du Saumon et de la Rivière in Brioude, which includes aquariums showing the species found on the Allier and the history of the Brivadois region around salmon, two itineraries were proposed:

 

Itinerary 1: Visit to the Allier valley between Brioude and Chanteuges, with a “virtual” visit to the “new Poutès dam” due to the vigipirate plan preventing visits to the site, in partnership with EDF, and a visit to the National Wild Salmon Conservatory de Chanteuges, with Nature A Lier.

 

Itinerary 2: Visit to the Alagnon basin, where major efforts have been made to restore ecological continuity: visits to dams that have been removed and restored in the basin: Grand Pont, Chambezon, Massiac, Stalapos), in partnership with SIGAL.

 

Presentations, summaries and photos are online. The replay and summary will follow shortly on the following page : Colloque « Des Saumons et des Hommes 3 » 19-21 Oct 2023 à Brioude – SOS LOIRE VIVANTE

NGOs call for new EU Climate and Water Resilience Law

On 26 October, a coalition of six NGOs grouped under the umbrella of Living Rivers Europe published a position paper calling for a more resilient Europe.

Read press release from WWF :

“Six NGOs call for a new EU Climate and Water Resilience Law to address the climate and water crises”
A coalition of six NGOs is asking for a new “EU Climate and Water Resilience Law” that prioritises restoring and protecting freshwater ecosystems to ensure clean and sufficient water for drinking and sustainable farming. The NGO call comes as the European Economic and Social Committee holds a high-level “Call for an EU Blue Deal” conference today, and it follows the European Commission’s announcement that it will present an Initiative for Water Resilience in the first quarter of 2024.

Freshwater ecosystems have been overexploited for decades, severely degrading their health and undermining Europe’s resilience to the fast-growing consequences of climate change: increased drought, floods and fires, while also driving massive biodiversity and habitat loss. The new EU Climate and Water Resilience Law supported by the NGOs would create a network of natural Water Reserves to protect critical water supplies and their catchments in water-stressed areas, provide adequate finance for protecting and restoring natural “sponge” landscapes, and contribute to setting sectoral water efficiency and water abstraction targets for all water users at basin level.

“Rather than calling for an EU Blue Deal which relies heavily on grey infrastructure, we need to continue implementing the Green Deal and accelerate efforts to safeguard water for nature and for people,” says Claire Baffert, Senior Water Policy Officer at WWF’s European Policy Office and Chair of the Living Rivers Europe coalition. “We urge the European Commission to draw up a new EU Climate and Water Resilience Law that ensures clean and sufficient water for people by securing healthy freshwater ecosystems for nature.”

The NGOs caution against turning to concrete infrastructure in a bid to temporarily fix water shortage and flood problems: “Building new dams, channelling riverbeds or implementing large-scale water transfers only increases our vulnerability to climate change impacts in the future. Instead, natural ecosystems including free-flowing rivers, restored floodplains, wetlands and peatlands need the space and freedom to do their job of absorbing, filtering and storing water, and providing vital habitats for nature,” Paul Brotherton, Freshwater Manager at Wetlands International Europe.

In the position paper for water resilience, the coalition also calls for the full enforcement of the Water Framework Directive, climate adaptation to be integrated into all EU policies and an end to subsidies that harm freshwater.

Download the document : https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/climate-and-water-crisis-report_web-final.pdf

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Hydroelectricity – EU: Open letter from Living Rivers Europe (LRE)

In February, around a hundred NGOs co-signed Living Rivers Europe’s letter to the European Commission calling on EU decision-makers to protect Europe’s rivers from the deployment of new hydropower plants. The Commission’s response, received on 4 May 2023, contains several erroneous statements about the role of hydropower in the deployment of renewable energies in Europe.

LRE responded to the Commission on 20 October with a new open letter co-signed by 100 NGOs.

Extract : “In Europe, a large majority of the planned hydropower capacity is small plants – 93% of planned projects have a capacity <10 MW and 60% below 1 MW. Therefore they are unable to significantly back up variable renewables. On the contrary, the smallest run-of-river hydropower plants are subject to seasonal river flows, thus they operate as an intermittent energy source. Many of those planned small plants are in protected areas. Building new storage and pumped storage power plants where two reservoirs do not already exist is likely to cause irreversible damage to rivers, due to landscape change and hydropeaking.

read the open letter

International conference “Salmons & people “: Registration now open

The salmo salar – extinction or restoration?
We need a shared roadmap!

Salmon is in decline in France, as is biodiversity in general. Migration statistics are clear: fewer and fewer migratory fish are reaching their best spawning grounds, particularly those on long rivers, such as the Loire-Allier axis….
All hope is not yet lost, however, as there are promising examples where rigorous, jointly-developed measures have resulted in an upward trend. Despite climate change.
Ten years after the last meeting, SOS Loire Vivante – ERN is organizing a new event in an attempt to unite the players around a common roadmap. Probably the last chance!

> More info and registration