The District of Squamish has raised concerns over a run-of-the-river power project that would slice through some of the community's key mountain and dirt-biking trails.
For the past three years, Sea to Sky Power Corp. has been working on a hydro project slated for Skookum Creek, which would be 12 kilometres east of Squamish near the creek's confluence with the Mamquam River.
The $92 million independent power project (IPP) requires a seven-kilometre power line that would run parallel to Mamquam River. It would then follow an existing B.C. Hydro right-of-way that runs behind Quest University and Alice and Cat lakes before connecting to the electrical grid at the Cheekye Substation north of Brackendale.
The new stretch of transmission line would cut through the Ring Creek Rip, a key piece of mountain and dirt bike infrastructure that is a popular feature in such events as the Test of Metal.
Since last spring, leaders of the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association (SORCA) and the Squamish Dirt Bike Association (SDBA) have met with Sea to Sky Power officials on several occasions to voice their concerns, said Mike Nelson, SORCA's government liaison.
"[The project] would end up creating a road right where The Rip is," he said.
Sea to Sky Power officials have relocated two kilometres of the planned transmission line, but there are still issues to be resolved, Nelson said. The Rip is an important part of the Test of Metal race, which draws almost 1,000 riders to Squamish and generates an estimated $2 million in economic impacts, he said.
"The Rip obviously is a fundamental component of the Test of Metal. If it was turned into a road that would be a shame," Nelson said. "We never like losing trails."
Travelling north along the B.C. Hydro right-of-way, the line will cross popular trails like Word of Mouth, Plum Smuggler and Don't Tell Jude, he said. Around Cat Lake, the line affects the dirt bikers more than it does mountain bike riders, Nelson said.
"It's not as if we don't have mountain bike trails under power lines," he said. "But it will change the character of the trails."
Those concerns have been outlined by the district in the Ministry of Forests' referral request regarding the project. At Tuesday's (Oct. 18) regular Squamish council meeting, council backed away from staff's recommendation to provide a strongly worded, non-supportive referral.
No matter what council thinks of the project, it falls within the Province's mandate to support independent power producers, Coun. Paul Lalli said. He said he would rather the district try to work with Sea to Sky Power to iron out plans, not voice outright opposition. If the district was to extend its boundary to include the hydro plant - a process chief administrative officer Kevin Ramsay estimated would take four years - the municipality could end up with extra cash in its coffers.
"I look at this purely from a taxation view," Ramsay said.
Sea to Sky Power officials estimate the facility, which has not yet received final B.C. government approval, would pay $570,000 a year in property taxes. The two-year construction window would provide 320 direct jobs and 255 indirect jobs, project president Rick Hopp told The Chief.
"We are not having a camp," he said, noting that the presence of workers in town would benefit local hotels and restaurants.
Once up and running, the hydro plant would generate enough power annually to supply the needs of 8,400 homes, Hopp said.
The project's intake is upstream of several waterfalls, said David Bean, an environmental scientist with Streamline Environmental Consulting who worked on the project. Although salmon don't venture up Skookum Creek, Dolly Varden char and rainbow trout live in the section of the creek that would have part of its flow diverted, he said. Sea to Sky Power has calculated the amount of water that must remain in the creek to accommodate the fish, Bean said.
"I would say the [project's] highlights really are the lack of sensitive species in the area," he said, noting the facility is slated to be built in second-growth forest.
While councillors noted the project's economic benefits to the community, Mayor Greg Gardner questioned whether the short-term gains outweigh the long-term impacts. Unlike logged areas, trees are not allowed to grow back under power lines, he noted, adding that power lines already criss-cross the community.
Gardner said he was disappointed that Sea to Sky Power had not made a presentation to council, adding he only heard about the project a month ago. The district's request for a 60-day extension to review the project was denied, Ramsay said.
If Sea to Sky Power gets all its permits in order, construction could start in six months, with the plant going into operation in early 2014, Hopp said.
