This study with white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) was conducted with the UC Davis Fish Conservation Physiology Lab at Natel’s hydraulic test facility located in Alameda, CA. These tests investigated lethal and sublethal effects of turbine passage on white sturgeon, quantifying responses like growth rate, avoidance behaviors, and stress levels following passage through a Natel Restoration Hydro Turbine (RHT). Additionally, a test comparing the direct effects of turbine passage through an RHT versus a conventional turbine was conducted at a range of velocities. 

Groups of five fish were released into the intake of the turbine, were recaptured after passing through the turbine, and went through post-passage assessments. To measure fish behavior, video was captured of the fish in the observation chamber prior to and following turbine passage; for growth, fish were periodically measured over the course of several weeks following turbine passage; for the stress group, blood samples were taken immediately after turbine passage and at various time points during recovery. Over 1,300 fish in total were passed through Natel’s hydraulic test facility in the course of this study. The data shown below is the subset of fish (N = 434) that were tested at the highest velocity point (27.6 m/s) through the RHT and recovered for 48 hours.

Immediately following and 48-hours after turbine passage, fish survival rates were 100 and 99.1%, respectively. The passage of fish through the RHT was captured with high-speed video. Data collection related to the sublethal effects is still ongoing, as of October 2024, and publications of this study are currently in progress. The initial results of this study demonstrate RHTs are a safer way of passing white sturgeon downstream than traditional conventional turbines.

This work was funded by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.