Evaluating the biological response of American eels to safe downstream passage technologies at Chaudiere Falls

渥太华能源公司是渥太华水电公司的全资子公司，也是安大略省最大的市政绿色能源供应商。他们最大的设施位于chaudi<e:1>瀑布，这是一个具有当地和国家历史重要性的地点，毗邻国会山。他们的chaudi<s:1>瀑布扩建项目目前正在进行中，新设施将于2017年夏季开始运营。除了提供开放的公共空间和对加拿大第一民族和渥太华实业家过去的认可之外，这个项目的目标是以对环境负责的方式生产可再生能源。特别是，该项目旨在尽量减少对水生环境的影响，重点是濒危的（安大略省）美洲鳗。扩建工程将包括安装鳗鱼梯，为幼鳗提供上游迁徙路线，同时为成年鳗提供安全的下游通道。下游的死亡对该物种来说尤其成问题，而且具有成本效益的解决办法有限，特别是在大河上。渥太华能源公司正在安装一种技术创新的解决方案，其中包括一个防止鱼类进入涡轮机的屏幕，以及在涡轮机周围提供安全通道的旁路通道。这也需要前湾通道的设计，以确保水的速度足够低，以避免鱼类撞击屏幕。筛管和旁路通道已经成功地安装在较小的河流上，但这是第一次在安大略省如此大的河流上使用这项技术。这项技术有可能在下游迁移过程中减少或消除美洲鳗的涡轮机死亡率，同时继续以有利可图的方式生产清洁的可再生能源。Cooke博士和他的团队将协助行业合作伙伴使用可辩护的研究方法评估对安全下游通道技术的生物反应。它有用吗？如果没有，如何完善基础设施以改善美国鳗鱼的结果？这样的研究对于维持与社区的社会契约至关重要，并确保渥太华能源公司拥有科学知识，为他们与省和联邦政府的互动提供信息

Energy Ottawa is a fully-owned subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa, and is Ontario's largest municipally-ownedprovider of green power. Their largest facility is located at Chaudière falls, a site with local and Nationalhistoric importance located adjacent to Parliament Hill. Their Chaudière Falls Expansion Project is currentlyunderway, and the new facilities will begin operating in summer 2017. In addition to providing open publicspace and recognition of Canada's First nations and Ottawa's industrialist past, the goal of this project is toproduce renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way. In particular, the project was designed tohave minimal impacts on the aquatic environment, with an emphasis on the endangered (in Ontario) AmericanEel. The expansion project will include the installation of an eel ladder to offer an upstream migration routefor juveniles, as well as safe downstream passage for adults. Downstream mortality is particularly problematicfor the species, and cost-effective solutions are limited particularly on large rivers. Energy Ottawa is in theprocess of installing a technologically innovative solution that includes a screen to prevent fish from enteringthe turbines, coupled with bypass channels that provide safe passage around the turbines. This also required are-design of the forebay channel to ensure that water velocities were low enough for fish to avoid impingementon the screen. Screens and bypass channels have been installed successfully on smaller rivers, but this is thefirst time that this technology has been used in Ontario and on such a large river. This technology has thepotential to minimize or eliminate turbine mortality for American Eel during downstream migration whilecontinuing to produce clean, renewable energy in a profitable manner. Dr. Cooke and his team would assist theindustry partner in evaluating the biological response to the safe downstream passage technology usingdefensible research methods. Does it work? And if not, how could the infrastructure be refined to improveoutcomes for American Eel? Such research is essential to maintain the social contract with the community andto ensure that Energy Ottawa has scientific knowledge to inform their interactions with provincial and federal