Power Company Abandons Plans for New Black River Dams (NY)

Earlier this week, Free Flow Power willingly surrendered permits granting them exporation and development rights associated with two proposed new dams on New York's Black River.  The proposed Felts Mills and Great Bend dams, if built, would have inundated 4.8 miles of the Black River that is currently free flowing.   

American Whitewater formally intervened in the permitting process for the Felts Mills and Great Bend hydropower projects in 2010.  In our intervention we stressed that these proposed projects required the construction of new dams in freeflowing reaches at the site of old breached dams (see satellite photo at left), rather than modification of existing functional dams.  We did not directly oppose the new dams at that early stage, but pointed out several anticipated impacts and issues with the proposals. 

The surrender of these permits is good news for the Black River.