B.C. Hydro Revisiting Site C Dam Project

Thursday, September 15, 2005 04:01 AM

Peace River which would see another dam under the plans for the Site "C" option

"We don’t know who is putting up the money and who will own a new "Site C" dam." says Wes McKnight a long time Bear Flats resident. That is the area that would be flooded if the Site C dam goes ahead.

McKnight says "No one will tell us who will own the dam and we believe it could be US interests."

It is estimated that the cost to build the "Site C" could be about $2.3 billion, but outsiders say that figure will be closer to $ 4 billion. The new facility would produce about 900 mega watts of power.

McKnight asks "Is the power going to head to the US and if they (the U.S.) finance the deal, do the water rights go with it?"

The original plan to build the Site C were scrapped back in 1980 , when residents complained that the dam, which is to be built in the vicinity of Taylor, is in an area of unstable ground made up of clay and mud and roads already have difficulty in being built in the area .

McKnight says it is the best land left in the entire north of BC. "If it were located in the lower mainland" he adds "They would never allow it to be removed from the Agricultural Land Reserve."

The first dam he says was built in an area of solid rock, but that is not the case on the "Site C. McKnight says "We have a petition going here in the Peace Region , but in spite of this, the helicopters and the boats have been going up and down the river with increasing numbers."

Local MLA and Cabinet Minister Richard Neufeld has been a strong supporter of the proposal to build the dam, especially after the Duke Point, Vancouver Island facility did not go ahead.

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Posted on Thursday, September 15, 2005 04:01 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Chadermando on September 15 2005 6:08 AM

For the life of me I can not figure out why any governemnt would even consider a private dam on any of our rivers. Haven't we learned our leasons from Alcan and Kemano?

I think this will meet strong oposition unless it is 100% BC hydro involved in building and owning this dam.

Our governemnt today is owned by and for multinational corporations so I think we all know we have no real chance as a province with this kind of democracy anyways.

Posted by: acrider54 on September 15 2005 6:40 AM

Well that's a no brainer, who else wants all of our natural resourses and who would like to sell all of out corporate assetts but the Provincial Liberal government. Concider it a done deal!

Posted by: acrider54 on September 15 2005 6:43 AM

Sorry, please excuse my spelling mistakes and a word out of place.

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on September 15 2005 7:47 AM

I lived in that area for three years and participated in all sorts of studies. Geological, social, environmental habitat, etc. The dam is safe to build. It the same material the Peace Dam in built of. I'm surprised people aren't running down the streets in Prince George naked screamin' "It's goin't FAIL!!!"
The delusions and irrational suspicions about who is going to put up the money is simply laughable. Who do you think is going to build it? The NDP?
Still I think BCHydro should finance it somehow and the next time one more job goes south to Vancouver we sell it to the US and use the money to feed the homeless downtown.

Posted by: Opatcho on September 15 2005 9:15 AM

And yes there were some in the NDP that were in favor of building the Site C dam as an alternative to other sources of power like gas or coal fired plants.

Posted by: spanky on September 15 2005 6:12 PM

sounds like another case of gordie selling us down the river.

later.........