The effects of low water levels across the Quinte area are becoming a reality now that a green energy project has been stopped dead in its tracks.
According to Quinte Conservation, flows in the Moira River are less than half of what they need to generate power at the McLeod Dam.
The McLeod Dam was built in 1979 to protect the downtown area from ice related flooding by providing a storage area to safely collect ice during the spring thaw.
The Dam was retrofitted in 2007-08, with two wind turbines installed to produce green hydro-electricity to about 400 homes reducing 5000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air.
Spokeswomen Jennifer May Anderson says it means it’s a loss of revenue plus those residents won’t be able to take advantage of green energy, but that’s not her biggest concern.
She says there are many easy ways people can reduce their water consumption.
The water levels along the river are only affected between the McLeod Dam and the Laziers Dam, which is located about 0.8 kilometers up stream. Conservation staff are onsite to rescue any stray fish.