Work at Site C dam imperils environment: report
Environmental compliance on construction of B.C. Hydro’s $9-billion Site C dam has been so poor that repeated and ongoing violations related to sediment control and erosion have harmed water quality and fish habitat, provincial inspection documents reveal.
“Continued non-compliance with these requirements has caused adverse effects to water quality and fish habitat as a result of the transport of sediments” to the Peace and Moberly river systems, the Environmental Assessment Office documents conclude. “B.C. Hydro has previously been issued three warnings and an order in regards to erosion and sediment control on the Site C project.”
The Crown corporation’s failure to heed multiple warnings about the situation prompted a high-level meeting with Hydro and EAO officials in Victoria to bring the megaproject into compliance.
The EAO “inspection record” documents problems such as: large faces of exposed soil leading into a ravine with little or no effort to stop erosion; extremely turbid water; sediment from landslides dumped directly into the Moberly River; sediment fences that don’t work; construction of a causeway over the Moberly River with no culverts or drainage structures in the flood channels; sediments entering the Peace River because of a washedout culvert; significant ditch erosion.
Hydro deputy CEO Chris O’Riley, who participated in that meeting, said Tuesday he is not going to blame the numerous contractors who work on the Site C site for the problems.
“It’s not something we’re happy with,” O’Riley said. “I take responsibility. I’m the person responsible in the company for the project.”
Hydro has since hired engineering consultants SNC-Lavalin to specifically address sediment and erosion problems, some of which — such as seeding with grass to prevent erosion — cannot be tackled until spring because of current snowy conditions.
“It is a very large site with a lot of exposed earth,” he said. “Erosion and sediment control is obviously a key issue.”
Last January Premier Christy Clark vowed to push the Site C project “past the point of no return” before this year’s provincial election on May 9. O’Riley rejected any suggestion the project is a rush job to meet the premier’s personal goal.
“It’s not accurate to saying we’re rushing. We’ve not accelerated our efforts to meet the target you describe.”
O’Riley noted there are 150 legally binding conditions from the federal-provincial environmental certificate for the project and Hydro takes them seriously. “This is an eight-year project and it’s important to get on a proper course early and we now think we are now on that course.”
The inspection record was posted Dec. 23, based on inspections conducted Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 under the signature of compliance and enforcement officer Alex McLean. The high-level meeting occurred Sept. 28, and included O’Riley and Site C project director Diane McSherry.
The EAO was represented by associate deputy minister Kevin Jardine, executive director Paul Craven, and senior compliance and enforcement officer Chris Parks.
In a positive comment in the documents, Hydro is credited with doing a good job of managing wildlife attractants. No charges have been laid against Hydro in connection with the environmental deficiencies.
On Dec. 22, Hydro also posted two enforcement orders for Hydro’s failure to monitor water quality in potentially affected wells and failure to protect amphibians.
Hydro has until Jan. 16 to document attempts to notify potential water-well owners within one kilometre of the dam reservoir and provide a list of all wells to be monitored twice a year for 10 years.
Hydro also has until Feb. 15 to develop a plan for conducting amphibian surveys and to determine mitigation measures on the road between Canyon Drive and Portage Mountain Quarry.
The 1,100-megawatt Site C hydroelectric project has been controversial from the outset, with the B.C. government refusing to submit the development to the B.C. Utilities Commission on the question of need.
Development is well underway near Fort St. John, including extensive road building, clearcutting and construction of buildings to house workers.
The dam will flood 83 kilometres of the main Peace River Valley extending from south of Fort St. John west toward Hudson’s Hope, plus about 35 kilometres of tributary valleys — Moberly River, Cache Creek, Halfway River, Farrell Creek and Lynx Creek.