Fishing groups have told The Courier of their concerns that a River Isla hydro turbine could ”kill” the river and drain the region’s economy.
SSE unveiled plans to build a ”run of river” scheme which would divert up to 87% of the River Isla’s water from Bridge of Craigisla, Angus, along four miles of underground pipes to a power station at Shanzie, by Alyth.
Ahead of a summit on plans to build the hydro turbine on the River Isla, concerns have been raised the scheme will inflict long-lasting damage to Tay fishing and the east coast’s economy.
Kirriemuir Angling Club secretary Ross Marshall drew parallels with hydro power’s effect on the River Garry, a major tributary of the River Tummel, which itself feeds the Tay.
Some 13 miles of main river between Struan and Loch Garry, and a number of tributaries, have been lost to fish and other wildlife as a result of abstraction.
Mr Marshall said: ”We are very concerned with the water levels which will remain in the Isla after this turbine is built. There’s going to be a fair old flow of water going through it at peak times. We haven’t seen any figures for what the levels will be but we can only go on what similar schemes do.
”We are told most of the water will be taken when the river’s in spate, which just so happens to be the best fishing conditions, especially at Den of Airlie. It’s also going to affect the salmon ascending the river to spawn. Looking at the Garry in Perthshire, the hydro scheme there has just killed the river. That has been one of the main salmon spawning rivers feeding the Tay, just like the Isla.
”Although SSE are saying the Garry scheme is a much older and different one from what they’re proposing, our concern is that once the turbine is in, the damage is done.”
Club president Derek Strachan said the abstraction of water taken above the Slug and Reekie Linn, returned below the Dillavaird bridge, would affect the entire beat fished by the club.
”We shall have to lobby hard to avoid our beat becoming like the Perthshire Garry,” he said.
Alyth Community Council invited SSE to a meeting at the Alyth Town Hall on January 25, at which tough questions will be asked of the energy provider.
The Tay District Salmon Fishery Board has already raised its own concerns, while the Scottish Canoe Association and VisitScotland have asked for more details as to the environmental and tourism impact the plans could have.
A spokesman for the fishery board said: ”We are obviously very nervous about what such a potentially massive change to the Isla will do to the Tay.
”This is particularly the case when you look at how much we depend on salmon fishing in Scotland. It’s one of our greatest exports, the domestic trade is still massive, and when you ask a well-travelled tourist what they associate with Scotland, Tay fishing is right up there.
”SEPA and Scottish Natural Heritage are waiting for the results of the environmental impact assessment and they’re obviously very interested in this, as are we.”
The development would be situated around 4km to the north east of Alyth and would have a capacity of up to 10MW, providing enough renewable energy in an average year to power 5,000 homes.
It forms a major part of the Perth firm’s commitment to halve its carbon emissions by 2020 and will help the country to meet tough government targets.
The proposals have however given rise to significant concerns among residents of surrounding communities who believe there are a number of questions that need to be answered before permission can be granted.
The issue brought a larger than average audience to last month’s meeting of Alyth Community Council.
It will be revisited at next month’s meeting when it will form the basis of discussions and representatives of SSE are set to join residents.
Photo by Flickr user Shandchem