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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-08-15, Page 844 • .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 KK ttl-..'lttC