Pollution and power generation: environmental implications Small Hydroelectric Plants of Sao Paulo

Abstract

The current situation of water scarcity of of São Paulo State, manifested as imminent risk of shortages in major urban areas, has led not only to issues concerning preservation of water resources, but also problems related to energy availability, identified in a series of expeditions field carried out under the project " Electricity History of the State of Sao Paulo (1890-1960): Industrial Heritage , Landscape and Environment – Electromemory II”. The objective of this project is to study an extremely representative set of power plants and small hydroelectric power plants built during the initial period of electrification of the State of São Paulo – Brazil (1890-1960), along with its evolution within the social, historical and geographical aspects, to highlight the landscape changes resulting from the electrification process, as well as beneficiaries and impacts on landscape during the study period. In all visits, in addition to the problem of water scarcity, we verified that the power plants face generation constraints related to severe water pollution, either by diffuse or point sources. Some studies conducted in Brazil have analyzed the interference of pollution in power generation , highlighting the role of diffuse sources such as solid waste, sediments from areas with strong erosion, lubricant oils from vehicles or the development of invasive species, particularly as macrophytes, causative agents of biochemical changes that promote the formation of chemical compounds able to erode the electromechanical equipment of the plants or even prevent the flow of water intake into the same. The power plants covered by Electromemory II Project scope have these same problems, which prompted the need to establish a relationship between pollution in its various forms and the generation of electricity. To establish this bridge, the survey of publications and technical reports was necessary as well asresearches inenvironmental legislation, cartographic and photographic material, field visit reports, among others. As a partial result of the studies developed in Electromemory II project, 32 hydroelectric plants were visited, spread along 8 watersheds, through 6 interdisciplinary scientific expeditions from July 2013 to January 2015. From the inputs made possible by the bibliographical material and technical consulting, we expect to build an overview of effects of pollution both in relation to the safety of electricity generation, as its effects on local ecosystems, especially in fish populations and related habitats.