Over the last years a push in small hydro development has mounted a major threat for free flowing rivers and creeks in British Columbia. Each year a larger number of small hydro projects is awarded energy purchasing agreements (EPA) by BC Hydro. These projects are commonly referred to as "run of the river" and vary in size from a few MW to several hundred MW.
The BC Creek Protection Society (BC CPS) is based out of Victoria, BC, and has been founded to: (1) Protect BC's free flowing watercourses as part of our natural and unique ecosystem (2) Provide public education about natural watercourses and their importance to the environment and society. (3) Raise awareness of current issues concerning said watercourses. (4) Conduct and support research on the impacts of "run of the river projects" on society and the natural ecosystems formed by free flowing natural watercourses.
The BC CPS has both environmental and political concerns related to the rushed implementation of small hydro projects:
Environmentally, these energy projects lack province wide planning and province wide environmental impact studies. Many small hydro projects are proposed for creeks in wilderness areas, and environmental impact assessments are not required if the energy project is smaller than 50 MW of installed power (approximately enough energy to serve 20,000 homes). Therefore the ecological impact of installed small hydro facilities has not been investigated and the few environmental studies which have been taken often only include limited studies on fish (Salmon and Steelhead). In Summary: No knowledge about the impact of individual projects is available and the cumulative impact of many small hydro projects has not been investigated.
A major political concern is the immense profit for shareholders of independent power providers (IPPs) at the cost of BC citizens. Finally, there are no regulations for the marketing of energy after the current EPAs run out.
Please consider supporting BC CPS through your membership (available online). We also encourage you to donate to BC CPS (available online) and get involved by contacting us through http://www.bc-creeks.org
meinst Du es hat wirklich Sinn, wenn einige deutsche Canadier-Enthusiasten sich für die Wasserwege British-Columbiens engagieren? Wir haben ja schon hier in Deutschland wenig bis keinen Einfluss auf die Gestaltung unserer Flüsse (Kraftwerke, Wehre,...). Wenn es nur um die Zahl der Mitglieder (also Masse) und Internationalität geht werde ich gerne Mitglied (http://www.bc-creeks.org/index.php/membe...embership-form/) aber ich würde mir wünschen, dass es uns gelange in Deutschland so eine Initiative auf die Beine zu stellen, die dann auch noch Einfluss hat...
Axel
"Each mile on a river will take you further from home than a hundred miles on a road." Bob Marshall
jan_dettmer
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25.04.2007 20:57
#3 RE: In Englisch: Please support the BC Creek Protection Society
Axel, es war in erster Linie als Informationsmaterial gedacht. Da doch einige hier immer wieder nach Kanada fahren um dort zu paddeln denke ich, dass diese Leute auch an den Problemen in Kanada, hier BC im speziellen, interessiert sind. Jede Art von Unterstuetzung hilft. Das wichtigste ist es sich ueber solche Dinge zu informieren. Klar gibt es in Europa die gleichen Probleme (siehe Oetz).
Paddler muessen an der Front der Schuetzer natuerlicher Wasserwege stehen. Jede Bemuehung zaehlt.
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