Harris station, kennebec River not giving accurate flow projections

[M Bailey]

Multiple people have noted that over the last month the dam is not giving accurate projections. Flow projections through safewaters website and app will suddenly update the same day.  Obviously this is unsafe. I sent an email to Brookfield but didn't get a response. The other day I was out on the gorge not knowing the flow was going to double from 700 to 1400. Wasn't a problem but could've been. I really don't know who else to contact. Sorry

[Paul Martzen]

Would you please supply links to the Safewaters website and the specific AW river section/page affected?   Can you give us any background on previous understandings or agreements with the dam operators?  There may be people at AW who know exactly what you are talking about or were involved with negotiations, but they may not see your message immediately.   

it sounds like the dam operators are supposed to give advance warning of changes in flow.  Do you know what that advance warning has been or is supposed to be.  How many hours? 

[Skip Morris]

Answering Paul's query on Safewaters:

Here's the Safewaters URL for Harris Station:

https://safewaters.com/facility/harris-indian-pond

Safewaters is a commercial vendor that multiple hydro companies use to report release levels. They power companies don't want the general public accessing their web sites directly so they contract with an outside vendor.

WaterLine is another one that also reports levels for some power companies

Here's the Deerfield/Monroe Bridge (in Mass) http://www.h2oline.com/srcs/255122.html

The New Hampshire Dept of Environmental Services uses the RTI Amanzi Service:

    https://nhdes.rtiamanzi.org/stations

Most hydro companies use one of the above services above, but not all do.

Here's one New England Hydro Company that doesn't use a commercial service:

https://patriothydro.com/resources/

And a few very important ones reporting their own levels that I'd love to add to AW:

US Army Corps/New England (example page, one of many)

  https://reservoircontrol.usace.army.mil/nae_ords/cwmsweb/apitable.table_display_menu?gagecode=FFD

Hydro Quebec:

  https://www.hydroquebec.com/generation/flows-water-level.html

Environment Canada

  https://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/map/index_e.html?type=real_time

Adding these other services to AW would be a great benefit to paddlers; especially since it's difficult for people to find all the sites. And with the virtual gauge ability on AW you could combine readings from different vendors when necessary to get a good reading for a river where otherwise the level isn't available.

ie, For the Pemi/Bristol reach. To calculate the flow, you first look at the inflow on the USACOE dam at Franklin Falls; then subtract the flows from the NH DES dam at Newfound Lake and the USGS flow from the Smith River at Bristol.  (Yes, check three different services to get a level.)

/Skip

[Skip Morris]

Actually, there's the annual meeting this Tuesday between Brookfield Power, the Rafting companies, and paddlers to discuss the schedule for 2025.  This would be a great topic to add to the discussion.

/Skip

[M B]

I I sent you a message before I am a frequent paddler on the Kennebec River. I am writing to report a recurring safety issue regarding inaccurate flow data and neglected physical safety infrastructure at the Kennebec Gorge, managed by Brookfield Renewables.

On a trip last November, I checked the safewaters.com website, which indicated a scheduled commercial release of approximately 5,000 CFS. However, upon arrival, the actual flow was significantly lower from the reported schedule. Due to this discrepancy, I struck a rock and sustained a knee injury.

This is not an isolated incident. I have encountered inaccurate data on the website multiple times in the past.

 Furthermore:

Physical Gauge Neglect: The gauge at the put-in is  worn and partially unreadable, making it impossible for paddlers to verify live conditions. 

Lack of Accountability: I have previously attempted to contact Brookfield Renewables directly regarding these inaccuracies back in 2024 but they completely failed to respond.

I am not seeking personal financial gain, but I am deeply concerned that these data errors and the lack of an adequate physical gauge will lead to more severe injuries for others.

I would appreciate your guidance on how to hold Brookfield accountable to their recreational safety obligations. I'm sure Brookfield maintains the actual live flow records, which will confirm the discrepancies I’ve experienced.

Thank you for your time and for all you do to protect our rivers and those who use them.

Sincerely,

Matthew Bailey

2076534035

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "American Whitewater StreamTeam Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/american-whitewater-streamteam-forum/lBAZlNQpw9o/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to american-whitewater-stre...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/american-whitewater-streamteam-forum/127533fa-9759-4594-b103-e26b84795ffen%40googlegroups.com.