http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/11/06/bc-miller-creek.html
A scientist who warned a controversial hydroelectric project in B.C. could have a disastrous effect on the aquatic ecosystem says the creek has run dry at least once and the company's investigation of the damage amounts to fraudulent science.
According to documents obtained by CBC News, eight years ago a number of experts warned of problems with the proposed run-of-the river hydroelectric plant, but their objections were overruled and the project was given the go-ahead.
Marvin Rosenau, a senior fisheries biologist with B.C.'s Environment Ministry, and his colleagues were asked to review a proposal by a private company to siphon most of the flow from two tributaries of Miller Creek, about 150 kilometres north of Vancouver, in order to generate electricity.
Rosenau complained private power companies weren't interested in conservation and biologists simply didn't have enough data on fish and water flows to feel confident about endorsing the Miller Creek hydroelectric project.
"My level of frustration, I think, was repeated by a number of other staff members," said Rosenau, who provided e-mails to CBC News to back up his claims.
Despite the objections, B.C.'s comptroller of water rights Jim Mattison granted the licence. He told CBC News other biologists advised him the potential environmental impacts were negligible.
"There's no question you're going to change something or we wouldn't have this kind of power — but in this case, it was me trying to steer a course through a wide range of differing opinions."
Since then, there have been several incidents of erratic flow on Miller Creek. In one incident in 2001 when the finished project was tested, a federal fisheries engineer complained about a surge of water recklessly sent downstream that he said could have killed someone.
Then last year, an equipment malfunction blocked the creek's flow for four hours, nearly drying it out.
EPCOR Utilities Inc., the Edmonton-based company which took over the project from the original developers, said it was only able to find nine dead fish.
Rosenau, who is now retired, said he found that hard to believe. "If the stream was basically de-watered … I'll just say it's fraudulent science," he told CBC.
When contacted, B.C.'s environment minister said more rigorous conditions have been imposed on the Miller Creek hydroelectric station and this fall government staff began checking up on some of the more than 40 other run-of-river power projects in the province.
http://www.bchydro.com/planning_regulatory/acquiring_power/green_ipps/project_updates/miller_creek.htmlHere is a list of all Run of River Projects in Development, interesting, there are some also in Hope and Chilliwack.
http://www.bchydro.com/planning_regulatory/acquiring_power/green_ipps.htmlCheers,
Nicole
Author
Topic: More Run of River Problems, Dewatering of Miller Creek on the Lillooet (Read 2550 times)