|
Synex Energy Resources of Vancouver has applied for a 19.9 megawatt “run-of-river” (river diversion) hydro power project in the intact Bulson Valley of Clayoquot Sound.
Bulson Valley is located northeast of Meares Island in central Clayoquot Sound. It is one of Clayoquot Sound’s undeveloped ancient forest valleys, 98% intact, except for 2% logged in the lower valley.
The Bulson private hydro project would consist of a 2 metre high concrete dam across the narrow end of pristine Bulson Lake, which lies mid-valley about 5 km from the river’s mouth. The river’s flow would be diverted through a 500 metre long pipe (penstock), then a 1.4 kilometre tunnel, and finally through an 800 metre long pipe. A power station with turbines would be located in the lower valley and 8 kilometres of new roads would be built to access the dam and power station. The project would push development upriver into intact wilderness and destroy many hectares of ancient forest.
A 47 kilometre transmission line would leave the Bulson Valley and traverse the southern third of Clayoquot Sound. It would hook up to the BC Hydro grid at Hwy 4 on the southeast shore of Kennedy Lake and would transmit power out of the region.
The Bulson project would push industrial hydro into a remote wilderness valley in the heart of Clayoquot Sound. Please oppose this proposal and help stop the senseless industrialization of Clayoquot!
Some reasons to give for your opposition to this project:
Intact Wilderness Valleys are Conservation Priorities Bulson is one of only a handful of large undeveloped temperate rainforest valleys left in Clayoquot Sound and Vancouver Island. Scientists consider these wilderness valleys as conservation priorites. Their ecological integrity should not be degraded by industrial development. Bulson is one of the intact valleys environmental organizations are fighting to keep free of logging.
Impact on River and Salmon In run-of-river projects, typically up to 80-90% of a river’s flow is diverted through pipes and/or tunnels, before being returned to the river below the power station. Between the intake and output, therefore, river flow in the natural channel is dramatically reduced and water temperature increased. Input of gravel, woody debris and organic material is also much reduced. Such unnatural changes can greatly impact stream health and the wildlife species that rely on it, including salmon.
Lack of Planning or Consideration of Cumulative Impacts No planning exists regarding number and siting of independent power projects, either on a province-wide or regional scale. Projects should not be approved without the context of an overall plan. It is unknown how many more proposals could pop up in Clayoquot Sound. To date, private companies have submitted applications for over 700 rivers and creeks in BC.
There are other general reasons to oppose private run-of-river hydro projects: privatization of BC’s rivers, the need to consider conservation and energy efficiency first before rushing to construct such projects, subsidizing private for-profit power by publicly owned BC Hydro and the possibility of power being exported out of Canada.
|
|||
|
PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW Write to: Premier Gordon Campbell PO Box 9041 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
Fax: 250-387-0087
|
Copy your letter or fax or
email to: PO Box 9047, Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, BC V8W 9E2 Tel: 250-387-1187
Fax: 250-387-1356 Mines and Petroleum Resources PO Box 9060, Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC V8W 9E3 Tel: 250-387-5896
Fax: 250-356-2965
Call or fax BC Government numbers toll-free via Enquiry BC 1-800-663-7867 |
||
