Existing Dam on site not generating, what’s next?

Hello everyone, I moved with my family to Ontario Canada and we are starting a family business… our property has a large spring fed pond with a dam. I did some research of what can be done because the dam is currently just leaking/overflowing… I found a hydroelectric company called green bug and they offer some options including leasing our site to them… there are also hydro and environmental agencies that we could contact. I‘m looking for some advice from fellow permies that might have experience with hydro power and/or regulations, permits, infrastructure, etc.
Side note: The dam has some erosion damage, so it will eventually need maintenance.

What a unique situation.

I'd be curious to see what interest you could muster. We produce our own hydroelectric energy at the papermill that I work for and we are fortunate enough to have a river to pull from but it does require some monitoring depending on the water level. I think it would come down to see what flow you can pull from the spring compared to the cost of the equipment.

Is there already existing generation equipment located on the dam? Is it functional? It is VERY expensive to maintain/fix when things break but not prohibitively so if you can generate steadily.

If you have pictures, I might be able to give better specific advice.

Tamara Weber wrote:Hello everyone, I moved with my family to Ontario Canada and we are starting a family business… our property has a large spring fed pond with a dam. I did some research of what can be done because the dam is currently just leaking/overflowing… I found a hydroelectric company called green bug and they offer some options including leasing our site to them… there are also hydro and environmental agencies that we could contact. I‘m looking for some advice from fellow permies that might have experience with hydro power and/or regulations, permits, infrastructure, etc.
Side note: The dam has some erosion damage, so it will eventually need maintenance.

I used to work for a company that did hydro evaluations. It's a long road. Ontario and the feds do not make it easy. The US is much more laid back about water here if it's water it does not really belong to you. Usually you start with the MNR for guidance and they can let you know the steps and agencies to contact. Ocean and fisheries can get involved environmental protection, first nations, it all depends on where you are. Don't want to sound negative totally worth researching.
Cheers, David

A self-replenishing water reservoir on site? Gold.

Enough grade for micro-hydro? Platinum!

I'm guessing the regulatory hurdles will bleed you dry. But the option of producing some of your own local power is tantalizing. I am envious.

Consider also the option of creating your own direct-drive mechanical power for tools and machines. Very efficient, if you can match the task with the available torque.

What kind of head are you talking about?
Do you know if it runs reliably all year?

Since it's spring fed, silting up behind the dam may not be an issue - it's a big issue with many old dams. There's a lot of info about the benefits of removing old dams, but that's more if  the dam is somewhere in the middle of a river's course, and it sounds like this is essentially at the source.

I can imagine the paperwork would be huge, and you'd need to be very careful that the dam stays safe, although that's partly dependent on how much water is being held back, but people are looking for "green" electricity, so if your site has potential, you might try that approach to get people to consider it seriously. At the very least, Douglas has a point about using it to manage your own power needs!