Column: Hydro companies need better recreation plans >The portage parade around the Bellows Falls Dam in Walpole, N.H. (Photograph courtesy of the Connecticut River Conservancy)
Modified: 7/23/2021 10:10:11 PM
Hydroelectric companies are required to provide recreation amenities as mitigation for using the public’s water to generate power. The dams in Wilder, Bellows Falls and Vernon, Vt., operated by Great River Hydro, are renewing their operating licenses under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Later this summer, the public will have an opportunity to comment on these licenses, which will impact more than 175 miles of the Connecticut River for the next 40-50 years.