Introduction The health of Canada’s environment is intimately linked to our vast network of rivers, lakes and wetlands. They provide critical habitat and serve as travel routes for innumerable species of wildlife. It is immensely important that the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems is maintained. Unfortunately, aquatic ecosystems and their wildlife face many threats in Canada. These include industrial, agricultural and residential pollution, wetland destruction, and deforestation of adjacent and nearby uplands. One of the most serious threats is posed by hydroelectric and other types of dams that physically obstruct waterways, fragment or destroy aquatic habitat, block fish migration, and alter water flow regimes. In some cases large volumes of water are diverted from one watershed to another. Dams in Canada are seldom constructed with fish passageways, effectively blocking fish from travelling upstream to critical spawning sites. On the way downstream, hydro turbines are a more source of injury and mortality. As a result many species have been devastated, especially in southern Canada. Salmon have declined drastically on both Canada’s east and west coasts and been extirpated from Lake Ontario and its tributaries. The American Eel has been eliminated from much of its historical range in Ontario. Lake Sturgeon have suffered steep declines throughout much of their range. Below we briefly discuss the effects of hydroelectric development on the environment. Hydroelectricity – not green or clean Hydroelectric development is often touted as a source of “green” and “clean” energy by government and hydro developers. Unfortunately this is not the case, as hydro has a major negative effect on aquatic ecosystems and wildlife, and on water quality. This applies to both large and small developments. Large developments typically have a large environmental footprint and can involve ecosystem destruction at a massive scale. Small developments typically produce only small amounts of power. Therefore, to produce a large amount of power numerous sites must be developed, with cumulative impacts that can be severe. Some of the negative effects of hydro development are listed below. Environmental effects of hydroelectric development
Other effects of hydro development Hydro development has other major drawbacks that are not necessarily of an environmental nature.
Examples of hydroelectric proposals Two examples of a myriad of hydro project proposals that threaten Canada’s rivers, aquatic ecosystems and wildlife are outlined below.
Peace River Site C hydroelectric proposal, northeastern British Columbia Site C, a mega hydroelectric project is planned for the Peace River in northeastern British Columbia. The proposed dam would create a reservoir stretching more than a hundred kilometres (LINK) along the river and its tributaries. It would flood critical wildlife habitat, prime farmland, and historical and First Nations cultural sites. It will likely have detrimental effects on the Peace River delta, a United Nations World Heritage Site downstream. Wildlife habitat: The section of the Peace to be flooded forms a critical ecological link in the south to north Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) Conservation Initiative. Hydro development threatens to sever this link for species such as the grizzly bear. The Peace River Valley provides the only breach in the Rocky Mountains and hence is an important east-west corridor for wildlife. Wildlife have already been drastically affected by development along the Peace, especially by the WAC Bennett dam and its huge reservoir which were constructed farther upstream in the 1960’s. Peace River delta: The Peace River delta is a huge freshwater delta located downstream in Alberta where the Peace River meets the Athabasca-Slave River system at the west end of Lake Athabasca. It is of international importance and has been designated a United Nations World Heritage Site. The wetlands of the delta have already been significantly affected by the WAC Bennett dam because of alteration of the river’s natural flow regime. No environmental assessment was carried out when that dam was constructed in the 60’s. It is unclear how serious the effects of the new proposed project will be for the delta as the necessary environmental studies have not been conducted. Farmland: Only a tiny fraction of British Columbia is suitable for agriculture. Much of the Province’s food is imported. One would have thought that the protection of the Province’s prime farm land would be a top priority. Think again! The portion of the Peace River Valley that would be lost due to flooding by the Site C dam includes a large area of class 1 and class 2 farmland, which is considered the best in northeastern BC. There is fierce opposition to the Site C project from environmentalists, farmers, and First Nations. In October 2014, a federal-provincial Joint Review Panel granted environmental assessment approval of the project. In November 2014, local First Nations filed a law suit to stop the project due to the devastating effects which it would have on their traditional lands. Alberta First Nations filed a separate lawsuit claiming that the downstream effects of the project on the Peace River Delta have not be properly considered. In December 2014, the BC government approved the project. In May 2015, Heritage Canada National Trust designated the Peace River as one of Canada's 10 Most Endangered Places because the Site C project will destroy many First Nations traditional and sacred sites, other historical sites, wildlife habitat and prime farmland. The site C project, which was first developed nearly half a century ago, and has been rejected in the past, must be rejected once again. For more information: Wilderness Committee (includes a map of the portion of the Peace River that is affected) Peace Valley Environmental Association Report on Peace River Valley natural and cultural values
Namakan River High Falls hydroelectric proposal, northwestern Ontario The Namakan River flows through the heart of the Quetico-Superior wilderness which straddles the border between northwestern Ontario and northern Minnesota. It is the last large free-flowing river in the region and forms an ecological link between three protected wilderness parks, Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario and Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. Namakan River in the heart of the Quetico-Superior Wilderness
The Namakan is home a healthy population Lake Sturgeon, a species that is listed as endangered in northwestern Ontario. The river is a critically important natural laboratory for the study of Lake Sturgeon and other species because it has not been altered by hydro development. Detailed acoustic telemetry studies have been carried out and demonstrate that Lake Sturgeon migrate along the length of the river from Namakan Lake to Quetico Park. The Namakan is also the only known location in Ontario of the endangered Pygmy Snaketail dragonfly, which is known to survive only in free-flowing rivers. The Quetico-Superior region is known internationally for its network of wilderness canoe routes. The Namakan is an important element of that network and has been used by First Nations for millennia as well as forming a link in the fur trade canoe route from the Great Lakes to western Canada in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Over the past several years proposals have been made to develop up to three hydro generating stations along the Namakan at Myrtle Falls, High Falls and Hay Rapids. The most serious current proposal is centred on High Falls. It would create a reservoir up to and along the boundary of Quetico Park. Namakan River, Ontario It is critical that the Namakan hydro projects be rejected
and that the Ontario government permanently remove the sites along the river from
consideration for future hydro development. The reasons are many:
In future it is important that pristine sites on waterways not be opened to development proposal until after there has been a study with public input into the site's suitability. Sites within or adjacent to protected areas, sites within sensitive ecosystems, and important historical or cultural sites should be automatically rejected. Sites that are opened to development proposals should then undergo thorough environmental and archaeological assessments carried out by an independent agency, not the project proponent. For more information on the Namakan: Voyageurs National Park Association Ministry of Natural Resources report on Sturgeon migration along the Namakan For information on other rivers at risk in Ontario: For information on the many negative environmental effects of hydroelectric development, both large and small: |