The original permit from Blue Heron Hydro [“For hydro dams, a chicken and egg,” Jan. 11] matched word for word with that issued for the development work on the West River done in the 1970s. These proposals, which are public record, used 100 percent of the potential energy of both the dams.
At Ball Mountain, the potential head from the historical lake level is 80 feet, with 45 feet of the head after the gatehouse where Blue Heron plans on setting its turbines. In this case, less than half of the potential energy for the dam will be used.
The federal dams on the West River caused destruction, both to peoples' lives and to the environment. My great aunt's home and job as postmaster was in West Townshend. Peoples' lives were changed forever for the public good.
Blue Heron Hydro is getting the dams for free. Shouldn't 100 percent of the company's permit filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) - a copy and paste of the description of work already done- be approved?
The towns of the West River Valley already paid thousands of dollars to have this work done. The return for the towns is zero, and Blue Heron is installing an undersize system.