Red Fish, Green Power

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***New*** Clean Electricity Recommendations

In December 2009, Watershed Watch co-authored Recommendations for Clean Electricity Development in British Columbia, along with David Suzuki Foundation, Pembina Institute, and West Coast Environmental Law. The recommendations were broadly supported by environmental organizations across BC, receiving endorsement from 26 groups.

Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Project

The following Google Earth files provide more information on BC IPP projects. The major projects file gives an overview of IPP projects throughout southern BC and the Bute Inlet provides more information on the largest private run-of-river hydropower project yet proposed. Clicking on the links downloads files that run in Google Earth. If you don't have Google earth, you can download the free program at http://earth.google.com. Once you have the Google Earth program, the data will automatically be loaded into "Places" when you open the files above. A flyover video of the Google Earth information is also available (75 MB .WMV version or 42 MB .MPEG version.

Assessing the Impacts of Run-of-River IPPs

‘Run-of-river’ hydropower is promoted in British Columbia and elsewhere as an environmentally-friendly solution to humanity’s ever-increasing energy demands. The rush to implement large-scale run-of-river projects (sometimes called Independent Power Producer, or, IPP projects) has prompted queries and debate about what these projects portend for people and the environment.

Watershed Watch Salmon Society recognized the need to answer some of the many questions being raised on run-of-river hydroelectric development in British Columbia and with funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, produced the following two reports. Run-of-River Hydropower in BC: A Citizen's Guide to Understanding Approvals, Impacts, and Sustainability of Independent Power Projects, answers 16 questions on the nature, benefits, and costs of 'green' hydropower. The Citizen's Guide findings, and the complex and disjointed approval process for run-of-river projects, are more fully described in a second, technical document, "Green" Hydro Power: Understanding Impacts, Approvals, and Sustainability of Run-of-River Independent Power Projects in British Columbia.

Both reports include a "Top 10 List of Considerations" to help concerned citizens assess the sustainability of hydro projects (proposed or built) in their communities.

Save the Upper Pitt River Video

A video has been created outlining the dangers of private power projects to the unique and spectacular Upper Pitt River water system. The video is a collaboration of COPE 378, the Alouette River Management Society, the Burke Mountain Naturalists and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. The video is available in Windows Media Player or Quicktime or YouTube versions and briefly describes how the BC Energy plan created the private power ‘gold rush’ and details how the Upper Pitt would be negatively impacted by such a project.

Water Licences

To learn more about water licences in BC download the file below and explore the map of water licences using Google Earth. All current water licences in BC for the purpose of power generation are mapped, and active water licence applications for the purpose of power generation are also included. The legend allows you to see both categories at once or to simply view only the current or only the prospective points of diversion. More detail on the power project is available by clicking on a location. Note that these data include all water licences for the purpose of power, so BC Hydro's projects are shown alongside of Independent Power Producer projects, particularly for current licences.

This work was completed May 12, 2007 by Craig Williams.

Click here to download the water licences file. If you don't have Google earth, you can download the free program at http://earth.google.com. Once you have the Google Earth program, the water licences data will automatically be loaded into "Places" when you open the water licences file.

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