HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-08-15, Page 844
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.A41,..1,401300/1/ •S401101019. WOChleilday, Amps* 15, 1179
Ontario Hydro look into.
ternate energy sources
Ontario Hydro has started
work on a number of studies,
including several alternative
energy programs investigat-
ing uses of wood and wind.
Others include a nuclear
test program, studies on
pollution from fossil -fuelled
generation and the impact of
transmission corridors on
rural property values.
Hydro has engaged Sand-
well Company to develop
capital cost estimates for
woodhandling facilities for
four sizes of wood -fuelled
generating stations. The
work is part of the overall
assessment of the generation
of electricity using forest
industry wood waste or plan-
tation harvesting. The report
is in the final stages of
preparation.
Hydro will act as project
manager on behalf of the
Ministry'of Energy, co-ordin-
ating the design,construc-
tion and operation of a wind
turbine=dieseldemonstration
project to be located near
Sudbury ' next year. Several
government agencies are in-
volved in the development,
which is being designed for
application in small isolated.
communities, many of which
are dependent on expensive
diesel generators for their
electricity supply.
The Sudbury project will
develop a wind turbine which
would assistthe diesel gen-
erator when wind conditions
permit. The estimated cost is
$425,000 and the principal
funding will come from the
Ontario. Ministry of Northern
Affairs.
On a similarbut separate
project, Hydro has engaged a
firm of wind energy consult-
ants, Worldwind,. to provide
design and consulting serv-
ices on a low technology wind
energy demonstration pro-
ject being conducted by the
Ministry of Energy near
Petersburg. Hydro is admin-
istrating the project for the
Ministry and is providing a
surplus transmission tower,
as well as engineering guid-
ance in the area of electric
power and control systems,
The ,.Board approved the
extension of studies done last
year by Shawinigan Energy
Consultants to assess the re-
mainign hydro -electric pot-
ential on the Mattagami
River. Preliminary work done
in the 1950s indicated that
the remaining potential head
on the river would best be
concentrated at Grand Rap-
ids, downstream from Hyd-
ro's Kipling generating sta-
tion.
The capacity available to
Hydro is expected to be in
the range of 160,000 kilo-
watts, about 30 per cent of
the capacity of a single
o
reactor at. the Pickering
nuclear station.
The work will include
recommending the preferred
location of the dam, confir-
• mation of the overall engin-
eering feasibility of the pro-
ject and . the probable cost
range for development of the
site. Shawinigan's report is
expected in December.
Ontario Hydro will partic-
ipate in an international re-
search program designed to
test the reactions of various
items of nuclear equipment
to a postulated pipe break.
This work is being under-
taken to increase knowledge
of the safety margins avail-
able in CANDU nuclear
generating stations.
There are no Large-scale
facilities in Cadada in which
to carry out such experi-
ments, therefore Hydro is
joining a program to be
conducted at the Marviken
facility in Sweden, where
work of this type has been
done for ten years.
Hydro's share of the pro-
gram cost is estimated at $2
million and this approach is
deemed the least expensive
way of providing the needed
data. The program should
get underway this summer.
A contract was awarded to
a Queen's University group
to study effects on human
health of increased air pollu-
Energy savings iri
recycled manure
To the livestock operator,
recycling means ' more than
returnable .bottles. It is re-
turning manure to the soil
and getting rid of a waste
product at the same time.
The key nutrient of man-
ure, nitrogen, should be used
more efficiently by farmers,
says Dr. E G. Beauchamp,
Department of Land Re-
source Science, University of
Guelph. Manure contains
two nitrogen components
that fertilize the soil am-
' monium and organic nitro-
gen. Ammonium is more
readily available to growing
plants.
Research at the Elora Re-
search Station, 23 km (14
miles) north of Guelpih, indi-
cates that when manure is
spread on soil, about 35 per
cent of the ammonium -nitro-
gen is lost to the air in five to
six days.
"To conserve nitrogen,
disc solid manure into the
field as sooit • as possible
during spring manure re-
moval;" advises Dr. Beau-
champ. "Energy savings are
considerable if manure is
recycled efficiently."
A project sponsored by
the Ontario Ministry of Agri-
c'ilture and Food involves
trial tests of injecting liquid
manure into the soil. A small
liquid manure wagon is
equipped with a simple de-
vice so that the liquid
manure runs down a tube
and into a tine that deposits
it in the soil.
"This experiment is de-
signed to form a part of . a
liquid manure .handling sys-
tem," says Dr. Beauchamp.
"This method prevents .• pun-
gent
un gent / odors and loss of
ami onium' into the air.'.'
He, says liquid manure has.
been applied successfully as
a , side -dressing to corn
plants, 10 to 24 cm (4 to''8
inches) high. Excellent corn
yields have been recorded.
Manure is a free by-prod-
uct that requires eelergy
investment only in the field.
However, large amounts of.
energy are required to prod -
uce commercial fertilizer
which then requires mdre
energy for field application.
There isno soil test
available for nitrogen con-
tent, but Dr. Beauchamp rec-
ommends a manure test if
farmers are unsure of the
fertilizing capability of their.
manure pile, Farmers should
bring a representative sam-
ple of ' the solid orliquid
manure to Guelph for analy-
sis. A laboratory in the Land
Resoprce Science building
has the necessary equipment
to analyze several elements
in' manure, for a fee of $10.
La Leche discuss
ab 's arrival
La Leche League of Huron
County met`'at the home of
Mrs. W. Graham in Exeter
on the evening of August
8th. ' Mrs. J. Bisback intro-
duced a newly certified lead-
er for this. area, Mrs. B. Kerr
of R. R. # 5, Brussels. Mrs.
Kerr has been a member of
the. League for two years,
preparing for leadership by
meeting certain require-
ments set out by La Leche
League International. During
this meeting, Mrs. Bisback
and Mrs. Kerr co -lead the
discussion.
The topic of discussion was
"Baby Arrives: the Family
and the Breastfeeding
Baby", with the main em-
phasis on methods of child-
birth and their effects, on
mothering. Interesting com-
parisons were made, as
members related their moth-
er's birthing experience and
how it may have . affected
their own feelings towards
childbirth and raising child-
ren. It was agreed that a
confident approach to labour
and nursing from birth were
positive influences and desir-
able in creating a successful
mothering through breast-
feeding,.
Following the discussion,
mothers shared a social time
and refreshments.
tion from fossil -fuelled gen-
eration producing power for
export. The results of this
study are required to support
' Hydro's application to the
National Energy Board for an
export licence to replace the
current one which expires on
June 30, 1981. The report is
expected in November.
To assist Hydro in the.
current review of its property
compensation policy, Woods,
Gordon Company has been
engaged to study the impact
of transmission . corridors on
rural property values.
The need arises from the
conclusion of a recentreport
from the Royal Commission
on Electric Power Planning,
which concluded that proper-
ties affected by transmission.
lines had consistently lower
re -sale values than those
used for comparison purpos-
es.
This conclusion was in
conflict with previous,
though limited, fundings on
the, subject and Hydro is
seeking a more definite study
on which to base its property
compensation policies.
•
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. and Food and the
University of Guelph are conducting a survey to locate
patches of one of Ontario's, newest weeds - Johnson grass.
This weed 'is one of the. most serious weeds in the United
States. It chokes out corn and other crops, and can harbor
corn mosaic '.virus in Its rhizomes [roots]. Until 1978,
specialists monitoring Johnson grass found the weeds
reproduced annually by seed in Ontario. 'Here, summer
student Alison Paine examines rhizome development . of
Johnson grass [right] and a corn plant with Clinton Pottruff, a
Paris area farmer. This is the first location where Johnsom.
grass overwintered andreproduced by rhizomes under the
soil, Johnson grass has been discovered in 22 locations in the
survey area. The survey is being conducted -in Essex, Kent,
Elgin, Bruce, Brant and Huron Counties, and in the regions of
York and Waterloo. Farmers who suspect they have Johnson
grass In their fields should contact local agricultural offices.
Fast Unl�adirg
Trucks Available
Premiums forTo ..
Grades
Receiving Hours:
Monday -Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday by appointment
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