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- Asset Management
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- Conventional Hydro
Modeling Fish Passage and Energetic Expenditure for American Shad in a Steeppass Fishway using a Computational Fluid Dynamics Model
Lead Companies
Montana State University
Lead Researcher (s)
- Kathryn Plymesser
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
complete
Completion Date
2014
- Conventional Hydro
Modular Helical Fish Passage for Low Head Applications
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Brett Pflugrath
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Conventional Hydro
Monitoring Detritus Deposition and Scour Downstream of Minidoka Dam with Implications to Snake River Physa Snail Habitat and Irrigation Canals.
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Daniel Dombrowski
This project will study the impact of sedimentation and detritus production on the endangered species Snake River Physa Snail (Physa). This snail lives in the spillway channel below Minidoka dam. It is theorized that deposition of detritus is creating anoxic conditions detrimental to survival of the species. The scope of proposed study includes a collaborative effort to monitor sediment entrainment and transport, measure local flow velocities, and relate the effects on the ecology to dam operations.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2022
- Conventional Hydro
Monitoring Technology Development for Sensitive Species (Eel/Lamprey Tag Development)
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Daniel Deng
The objectives of this project are to design, prototype, and perform laboratory and field tests of an injectable, acoustic micro-transmitter that can be used to study the behavior and survival of sensitive fish species (specifically juvenile eel and lamprey initially). Additionally, the project will provide information to develop mitigation measures for safer passage of eel and lamprey and reduce the environmental impacts hydropower production has on these species. Future research could build on this project, expanding the use of the tiny tags to many other species, such as American shad, delta smelt, and river herring. This project is a partnered research effort with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Memorandum of Understanding for Hydropower.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Conventional Hydro
Monitoring the Movements of Juvenile Pacific Lamprey in the Yakima River using Acoustic Telemetry
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Patrick Monk
The primary objectives of this project are to (1) test a non-commercially available acoustic telemetry tag designed for Pacific lamprey, and (2) to monitor the movements of juvenile lamprey in the Yakima River and in the Columbia River in order to better understand these unique fish and to inform future management actions. Entrainment of migrating lamprey in to canals and potentially through fish screens is considered a significant threat for Pacific Lamprey in the Yakima Subbasin This is the only type of study that will be able to finally provide answers about the rate of entrainment into the diversion, and rate of return through the bypass. Predation is also another critical threat for Pacific Lamprey. Recent studies on Northern Pike Minnow predation in the lower Columbia River have continuously shown that predation on juvenile Pacific Lamprey, despite the depressed numbers of lamprey, happens as frequently or more frequently than juvenile salmonid predation.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
NC5 R&D Gap Analysis for Flexible Technology R&D Roadmap
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Daniel Deng
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Conventional Hydro
Optimization and Commercialization of the juvenile eel/Lamprey Tag
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Daniel Deng
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
Powering the Blue Economy Foundational R&D and Systems of Innovation
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Ben Maurer, ben.maurer@nrel.gov
- Senu Sirnivas, senu.sirnivas@nrel.gov
- Jenny Wiegele, jenny.wiegele@nrel.gov
To spur economic growth and revitalize the ocean, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) launched the Powering the Blue EconomyTM (PBE) initiative, which aims to foster long-term, sustainable growth of the blue economy by protecting the ocean and understanding and leveraging its immense power, learning the power needs of emerging coastal and maritime markets, and advancing marine renewable energy technologies. NREL is helping achieve PBE goals through early-stage research and development by investigating power needs for blue economy sectors, such as offshore marine aquaculture, underwater vehicle charging, ocean observation, desalination, and seawater mining. For example, NREL researchers are exploring the feasibility of using marine energy to provide power at sea and build resiliency in coastal communities, with a focus on disaster recovery. To this end, the team is researching designs for small-scale marine energy technologies.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Environmental Impact, Fish and Aquatic Resources, Water Resources
Status
complete
Completion Date
2022
- Conventional Hydro
Predictive Dreissenid Mussel Modeling for the Western United States
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jacque Keele
The presence of dreissenid mussels triggers a need for large budgets to manage water bodies that contain these mussels. Based upon dreissenid mussel behavior in the eastern US, it was assumed that mussels would be widely invasive in western US waters. After five years of monitoring, it appears that not all environments trigger invasive populations. The goal of this research is to utilize predictive modeling techniques to inform decisions regarding stewardship of natural resources.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Quantifying Fish Biomass X Distance from Environmental DNA Samples in a Hydrodynamically Complex Environment
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Andrew Schultz
Can monitoring of Environmental DNA (eDNA) in hydraulically dynamic systems be used as a tool for monitoring target species to facilitate optimization of water delivery operations? Our specific research question will investigate how much fish biomass X distance is present when a quantity of DNA is obtained in a water sample. It is not possible to calculate the biomass alone because an infinite number of combinations of fish biomass and distance could produce the same amount of DNA in a water sample. Thus it is necessary to calculate the biomass X distance.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
Don’t see your waterpower research?
Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org