How big can a fish be and still pass through the Restoration Hydro Turbine (RHT) safely? Pretty big! This passage test of 186 rainbow trout measuring up to 500 mm (~19.7 in) in length found no meaningful difference between the fish passed through a 1.9 m (~ 6.2 ft) diameter RHT and the control group, who were not passed through any turbine.
This fish passage test was conducted jointly by Natel Energy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (@PNNL) in the spring of 2022, at Natel's Monroe hydropower plant in Culver, Oregon.
For more info about Natel's fish passage testing and peer-reviewed papers, visit our fish passage page.
In September 2021, Natel conducted formal testing with PNNL on a cohort of American eel passing through the RHT.
Abe and Sterling explain how the RHT works, how we know it works, and where it's going. With special emphasis on eel safety and applications for the St. Lawrence River. Hosted by the River Institute.