Changes to hydro project approved despite ministry concerns

By Gareth Madoc-Jones

British Columbia’s Environment Assessment Office allowed changes to a controversial hydroelectric project despite warnings from B.C.s Ministry of Environment.

Concerns were raised after proponents for the Kokish River Hydroelectric Project applied to increase the amount of water diverted away from the Kokish River for its 45-MW operation. An EAO document obtained through a freedom of information request reveals EAOs Executive Director Doug Caul was aware of additional risk to fish and fish habitat, before he approved the changes.

The EAO is considered a “neutral agency” operating within B.C.s MOE. The EAOs executive director approves/denies amendments to environmental assessment certificates, but they can also defer decision making to the environment minister.

For the Kokish River Hydroelectric Project, the executive director didn’t defer despite MOE staff concerns.

MOE staff are members of a working group set up to provide feedback to the EAO on potential impacts (environmental, economic, social, heritage and health) associated with a proposed project.

Gwen Barlee, the national policy director for the Wilderness Committee, filed the FOI request. “I’d nearly call it a fake process that you have this sort of rubber stamping environmental assessment process,” says Barlee. “We have good people within the MOE, we have good scientists, we have good hydrologists, we have good biologists, but their voices are muted.”

The Kokish River is located 15 km east of Port McNeill on Vancouver Island, B.C. The hydroelectric project opened in September 2014 and is owned and operated by Kwagis Power, a partnership between the ‘Namgis First Nation and Brookfield Renewable Power Inc.

The hydroelectric power is generated by diverting water out of the Kokish River into a buried pipe for a nine-kilometre stretch adjacent to the waterway. The water eventually flows through turbines before reentering the river downstream.

Barlee says the Wilderness Committee has been “vehemently opposed” to this project that’s located on a river home to coho, chum, pink and sockeye salmon, as well as cutthroat, steelhead and rainbow trout.

On February 25, 2013, about a year and a half before the project’s construction was complete, Kwagis Power applied to have its maximum diversion flow rate increased from 23.3 m3/s to 25.0 m3/s between Oct. 16 and June 15. Maximum diversion flow rate is the maximum amount of water the project is allowed to divert away from the river.

Stephen Weijs, a University of British Columbia assistant professor in hydrotechnical engineering, says it’s difficult to know the impact the increase in maximum diversion flow rate has on the Kokish River. “That depends both on the size of the river, but also on the distribution of water throughout the year,” says Weijs. He adds, the increase in flow rate will allow the project to generate more electricity for part of the year.

In a written statement, the MOE says the EAO was satisfied the effects to fish and fish habitat would be minimal.

However, in the FOI document, Kwagis Power estimates its proposed changes would result in a 0.1 per cent loss of summer steelhead spawning habitat and a 0.3 per cent to 0.9 per cent loss of chinook salmon spawning habitat.

Kwagis Power is also responsible for monitoring and reporting the project’s impact on the environment to the MOE. The MOE says so far there have not been any reports of negative impacts to fish and fish habitat due to this project.

Regardless of the reports, the Wilderness Committee isn’t happy with the way projects have been approved in B.C. “You see time and time and time and time again, the government’s own experts, when they’re in the MOE, are routinely ignored,” says Barlee.

Relevant pages

Response_Package_MOE-2015-51968-p51

Response_Package_MOE-2015-51968-p55

Response_Package_MOE-2015-51968-p57

Response_Package_MOE-2015-51968-p58

Response_Package_MOE-2015-51968-p59

Response_Package_MOE-2015-51968-p60

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