VANCOUVER 鈥� A planned run-of-river hydro project in the Upper Lillooet River Valley poses a significant risk to a recovering population of grizzly bears in southwestern B.C., a provincial biologist is warning.
The three-pronged project would have 鈥渕ultiple residual and cumulative effects to grizzly bears, creating high risk to recovery,鈥� warned Scott Barrett, ecosystems section head with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
He adds in a memorandum filed with the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office that the 鈥渁nticipated impacts of this project on grizzly bears will not be meaningfully mitigated鈥� and he fears infrastructure associated with the project could spur further development in the valley.
Several legally designated conservation areas related not just to grizzlies, but mountain goats, deer and moose also stand to be affected, he said. There are also concerns for species at risk such as wolverines, tailed frogs, harlequin ducks and bull trout.
The Upper Lillooet proponent is Creek Power Inc., two-thirds owned by Innergex Renewable Energy and one-third by Ledcor Power Group.
The proponent indicates that after construction the impacted habitats would 鈥渞eturn to a functional state,鈥� the memo notes. However, Creek Power and other developments potentially to follow will lead only to 鈥渋ncreased road activity, habitat loss and alienation,鈥� it adds.
Creek Power proposes three related run-of-river hydro facilities 鈥� the Upper Lillooet River and two tributaries, Boulder Creek and North Creek 鈥� located 40 to 60 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and producing a total of 121 megawatts of power, according to its environmental assessment certificate application.
A 72-kilometre, 230-kilovolt transmission line would connect with the B.C. Hydro grid about 10 kilometres southwest of Pemberton.
