Pitt River hydroelectric proposal draws rowdy opposition

A proposal to build seven hydroelectric facilities in the Upper Pitt River watershed east of Vancouver brought hundreds of people out to a rowdy town hall meeting in Mission Tuesday night.

Opponents of the project worry it will damage sensitive fish and wildlife habitat and for more than three hoursTuesday night, company and provincial representatives withstood an onslaught of booing at the public meeting.

Northwest Cascade Power wants the provincial government to approve its plan to use eight creeks about 15kilometres north of the head of Pitt Lake in the Fraser Valley Regional District for hydroelectric projects.

The company proposes to build sevenrun-of-the-river dams, whichrather than creating large reservoirs,rely on the river's natural water flow throughout theyearto generate electricity.They have less impact on the environment, but provide a lessconsistent source of electricity through the year.

If the provincial government gives the go-ahead, the project would create enough "green" energy to power more than 55,000 homes annually, according Northwest Cascade Power.

At the public meeting, most people were clearly opposed. One part of the plan that drew particular criticism was the request to take out 21 hectares of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park for a transmission line.

Tracy Lister argued the idea of using parkland for the project was fundamentally flawed.

"This is a slippery slope that we are standing on right now. We need to send a very clear message to the B.C. government that B.C. parks are non-negotiable," said Lister.

Ed George, the regional president with the B.C. Wildlife Federation, told company representatives if the project were to move forward, it would badly damage the sensitive fish and wildlife habitats.

"You're going to do your building with helicopters. Helicopters and mountain goats are not compatible. Helicopters and grizzly bears are not compatible. They don't work well together," said George.

"The area that you are coming through is grizzly bear habitat. I know the biologist wants that area preserved the provincial biologist,not the one on your staff," said George.

But the power company was quick to list the green benefits of the project, saying it would create energy with "clean" hydro energy unlike gas or coal.

The company website saysthe proposed project will have total capacity of 180 MW and willoffset between 200,520and 476,235 tonnes ofgreenhouse gas (CO2) per year.

The project would also generate jobs, and more than $30 million in taxes and licence fees.

This was the second public meeting in as many weeks on the hydroelectric proposal.

The previous meeting in Pitt Meadows was shut down by the fire chief after enough people came out and crowded into the room to violate the fire code.