American Whitewater, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Trout Unlimited, and Vermont Natural Reources Council reached an agreement with Morrisville Water & Light, the owner of a hydropower dam on the Green River, to begin implementing state water quality requirements including whitewater releases from the Green River Dam in Morrisville. After more than 15 years of advocacy for whitewater releases led by American Whitewater in partnership with affilliate Vermont Paddlers Club, the dam owner has finally agreed to implement Vermont’s Clean Water Act conditions on Morrisville’s federal hydropower license including requirements for minimum flows, reservoir stabilization, and whitewater releases.
American Whitewater has been working to secure whitewater releases on the Green since it helped conduct a controlled-flow whitewater boating study in 2011 that documented the importance of this remote and challenging whitewater run between the Green River Reservoir and the Lamoille River. American Whitewater successfully appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court a decision by DEC opposing whitewater releases, and in a first of its kind decision, the Supreme Court required scheduled (timed) releases on the Green. Years of delays followed as Morrisville unsuccessfully challenged Vermont’s Clean Water Act requirements in federal court. Still, Morrisville threatened to decommission and remove the Green River Dam and drain the reservoir adjacent to Vermont’s cherished Green River Reservoir State Park. After 15 years of court battles, Morrisville has agreed to implement Vermont’s hydropower license conditions while Vermont has agreed to conduct a post-license analysis of its Green RIver Reservoir stabilization requirement. The exact timing of the whitewater releases is still being worked out.
American Whitewater’s advocacy for whitewater releases on the Green once again demonstrates that persistence is key to every victory.