Letter to the Editor
Editor,
I would like to correct a misleading statement put out by TC Energy to this paper last week. They stated that pumped storage is being used successfully by Canada and the U.S. at their hydro facilities in Niagara Falls. Whilst it is true to say that they are using a storage system it is certainly not pumped. They do not suck water from the river and then release it again.
What they actually do is raise barriers in the river above the falls in the evening and divert the main flow down huge canals to large reservoirs located close to the power plants. These fill overnight and next day the barriers are lowered again and the water in the reservoirs is used to generate electricity. At no time is the water recycled around. That water is destined to drop over the escarpment one way or another.
My biggest objection to the proposed Meaford plant is that constant recycling will, over time, represent huge damage to the lake ecosystem whereas in Niagara they are simply harnessing nature.
David Black, Meaford
