Quote:
Originally Posted by alohaspirit
a small stream is fine
dam it up and stick a small waterwheel on the opening
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I can't legally dam it, because of the presence of state-sponsored wetlands. I have to allow the water to flow freely. I can't legally redirect any part of the stream, as I'm told.
What I can do, is use it for a "water supply" for anything I need. I can, of couse, dig a well right there in the middle of the stream, if I felt so inclined. I actually intended to go up as far on my Father's property as I can, and pipe off some of the water in two pipes, flow it down the length of the stream to my piece of land, so that it can gain as much head as possible, and have it then turning a water turbine of some sort connected to a generator, with the water exhaust flowing back into the stream. This doesn't count as redirection, as the water is just being taken from one place and being reintroduced somewhere else in the same pathway.
I have to look into whether or not I can dig a pond into it, or bring the water level up to the cut banks around the stream. If I can do either, that will give me a reason to dam it legally. I have to speak w/ the game commission about this, though, and it will require the use of a concrete culvert to keep water from flowing onto the road that the stream crosses under.
The piping idea is cheaper/easier, but the dam/culvert idea will (obviously) be able to produce more electricity.