Enbridge plan to dam Clore River near Terrace uncovered
by Friends of Wild Salmon
November 22, 2013
Enbridge is behind a controversial plan for a 120-megawatt hydro project that would dam the Clore River.
The project is being proposed by a numbered company, which local residents traced to the same Calgary address as Enbridge.
The Clore, located 60 kilometres southeast of Terrace, B.C., is the main tributary of the Copper River, which flows into the Skeena. The Copper-Clore watershed supports strong runs of wild salmon and steelhead and is critically important to First Nations’ food security, a world-class sport fishery and BC’s coastal commercial salmon fishery. It is also considered world class by kayakers and heavily used by hunters.
“This application shows Enbridge has absolutely no respect for the values we hold dear. If Enbridge thinks Northwest residents will let them dam our salmon rivers, they are even more delusional than we thought,” said Friends of Wild Salmon chair Gerald Amos.
“Hiding behind a numbered company is dishonest and shows Enbridge’s continued unwillingness to communicate openly with our communities. Enbridge might paint a pretty picture in their television ads but behind the scenes is threatening our most precious resources.”
Excerpts from the proponent’s scoping report:
“A headworks structure consisting of a weir and intake will divert a portion of flow from the Clore River first through a 6,400m tunnel and then through a penstock (water pipeline) for the remaining 1160m to a powerhouse.”
“In order to provide adequate intake submergence and to divert flows, a spillway control weir will be constructed across the stream. This will increase the water level behind the weir and provide adequate intake submergence. The depth and extent of the headpond is expected to provide sufficient time for larger sediment to settle out of the flow.”
“When flow is less than that required for maximum output, production is derived from the total stream flow less the minimum release.”
“This application illustrates the risk Enbridge poses to our rivers, coast and our region goes far beyond oil spills. Damming the Clore would have severe negative impacts and should be soundly rejected by local residents – just like Northern Gateway,” said Amos.
Numbered company 8056587 Canada Ltd. submitted water license application No. 6001392 for the Clore project. A web search shows 8056587 Canada Inc. was registered on December 22, 2011 at 3000 425 1st Street in Calgary – Enbridge’s address.
In 2009, the company C-Free Power withdrew a water license application for a similar project on the Clore due to environmental and community concerns surrounding their proposal.
NEWS RELEASE
November 22, 2013
Contact: Gerald Amos, Friends of Wild Salmon
Download Clore River Project Scoping report (1.9Mb PDF)
No comments:
Post a Comment