Run of River Power has announced that the initial field studies for eight hydro power stations on the Pitt river watershed in British Columbia, Canada, revealed no significant constraints to project development.
The technical studies, coordinated by Barkley Project Group, include fish, hydrology, wildlife and terrain stability assessments. These studies will support the applications for a project certificate, water licences, land tenure and other approvals required for the project.
The results of the baseline field studies were positive. Streamline Environmental Consulting found that seven of the eight streams had no fish at the project intake locations. The preliminary wildlife studies did not detect any red listed species or critical wildlife habitat features that would constrain project development. Most of the proposed diversion reaches did not contain fish, meaning greater stream flow will be available for power generation.
The initial terrain assessment by Aztec Geoscience found suitable conditions for the proposed intake, penstock and power house infrastructure for all eight projects, with only a few areas requiring pipe burying or other routine measures to protect the project infrastructure.
Aquarius R&D is operating continuous flow recorders on all eight streams and is working with PO Sjoman Hydrotech Consulting in preparing detailed hydrology and power studies. Additional field studies are planned for 2007.
Run of River Power’s project team is preparing a comprehensive project description to support the application for a project certificate under the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act (BCEAA). It expects to submit the application in early January 2007.