Dry spell leaves Mactaquac dam water levels less than ideal

The MactaquacDam is seeing some of the lowest water levels ever in the St. John river, and is using only enough water right now to keep the river flowingfor fish.

"If we weren't to maintain any flows that come through the dam then essentially you would turn the bottom of the river into a lake, which is certainly not an environment that's desirable for speciesin the river," Phil Landry, the executive director of generation and engineering at NB Power.

Water levels atthe dam west of Fredericton aresitting at 129.8 feet,Landry told Information Morning Fredericton.

Operating levels for the dam are between 128 and 133 feet, and the 133-foot level is preferred.

He said operating at any level lower than 128 feet could cause air to be pulled through the system, causing a vacuum in the pipes flowing to the turbine.

"If you created a vacuum strong enough in that system it could cause some damage, so we wouldn't ever go below 128."

NB Power is also drawingwater from Trousers Lake, Long Lake and Serpentine Lake to help get headpond levels up and meet its system requirements.

Landry said what is really needed now is a lot of rain.

Even if current water levels become a trend moving forward,Landry said the Mactaquac Dam will always be a benefit to New Brunswick.

"I don't see long term that it would remove completely the benefit of the dam. It may change our operating regime. We may need to adjust based on conditions but I believe the benefit will always be there."

He said NB Power is working on an online dashboard that would let people know the water levels at the headpond, and give futurepredictions.

"It's a real-time water level with what level we are at and a bit of an explanation as to why we're at those levels."

For now, whenever levels drop to 128 feet, the utility has a procedure for informing the public.