SELC pushes FERC, Alabama Power for water quality protections on the Coosa River

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has agreed with SELC and required Alabama Power to track conditions for aquatic wildlife below its hydroelectric dams on the Coosa River. Specifically, the company must monitor and report dissolved oxygen levels and must study additional measures to improve these levels.

The agency also has compelled Alabama Power to ensure that it provides healthy conditions—including sufficient dissolved oxygen—for endangered species. FERC, at our request, is currently reviewing its decision to renew the license for Alabama Power’s seven hydroelectric facilities on the Coosa River. Before the dams were built, the river was one of the most biologically diverse waterways in the world.