MRC Preliminary Design Guidance

The Don Sahong project is situated on a branch of the Mekong River. As the power station occupies only one of 7 major channels in the area, the Sahong channel, the station will utilize on average only about 15% of the total Mekong flow. This, coupled with the existing channel configuration, that provides natural spillways for fish and sediment passage that are physically separated from the Hou Sahong, differentiates the Don Sahong scheme from typical mainstream dams that span the entirety of a river. Despite this differentiation, the Mekong River Commission???s (MRC) Preliminary Design Guidance for Proposed Mainstream Dams in the Lower Mekong Basin (MRC, 2009) has been an integral part of the projects design and proposed measures to avoid, minimize or mitigate environmental and social impacts. The key principals of the MRC design guidance have been central in the design, of the project, and its associated environmental and social management plans. The MRC design guidance addresses the following:

??? Navigation

??? Fish Passage

??? Sediment Transport and River Morphology

??? Water Quality and Aquatic Ecology

??? Safety of Dams