Brookfield Power to restock Oswegatchie River with fish at site of last spring's dam break in Heuvelton

Brookfield Renewable Power, the owner of the hydroelectric dam at Heuvelton, will restock the Oswegatchie River upstream from the village in the wake of last spring’s dam break.

State Senator Patty Ritchie made the announcement Friday after consulting with the power company.

On June 8, a gate on the dam ruptured, draining millions of gallons of water from the reservoir.

Ritchie was notified by neighbors and sportsmen of the dam break, and she immediately dispatched her staff to the scene, and reached out to St. Lawrence county emergency responders and Brookfield Renewable Power.

The next day her staff surveyed the impact and saw wide mud flats caused by the release of millions of gallons of water from the dam.

“I want to thank Brookfield Renewable Power for their efforts to work with me and the Heuvelton community,” Ritchie said. “The company takes its responsibilities as a steward of the Oswegatchie River very seriously and I hope to work with the company and DEC as it develops its restocking plan.”

On Thursday, Ritchie met with officials from Brookfield Renewable Power to discuss the company’s plans to remediate the impacts of the release.

Company officials said the reservoir was lowered for three days to allow the company to safely install a temporary repair. Brookfield Renewable Power is consulting with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on a restocking plan for the Heuvelton area of the Oswegatchie River.

Ritchie says the company is consulting with DEC on what species should be restocked, how many of each species, and when restocking should occur to achieve the best results.