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Miller Creek power project raises new concerns

Confusion over hydro poles stops construction A controversial run-of-river power project, which stirred up Pemberton residents when first approved in 1999, is in the spotlight once again.

Confusion over hydro poles stops construction

A controversial run-of-river power project, which stirred up Pemberton residents when first approved in 1999, is in the spotlight once again.

Construction work on new power poles, which residents say were never part of the original power deal, began about three weeks ago for the Miller Creek hydroelectric project.

"The power lines are higher than what was expected (some up to 15 feet higher) and there are more, about 33 per cent more," said Susan Gimse, director for Electoral Area C in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.

In a direct response to the public complaints, BC Hydro has ordered EPCOR, the Alberta-based energy company developing the project, to stop construction work until there is a public meeting.

Residents, especially those living on the Pemberton Meadows Road where the new poles will be built, are upset and worried about the latest development in the project.

"It's definitely not what people were led to believe," said one local farmer who asked not to be named.

Gimse says the confusion about the hydro poles stems as far back as 1999. At that time Miller Creek Power Ltd. owned the 26-megawatt power project.

They put forth two proposals to the community to bring the power from Miller Creek to the Pemberton substation.

The first proposal, in which the power lines would snake down the mountainside across private property, met with immediate public outcry Residents were concerned the poles would scar the landscape.

"The transmission route was changed as a result of community opposition," said Gimse.

The alternative proposal was to follow the existing transmission route along Pemberton Meadows Road.

In looking back over all the correspondence, Gimse says the exact way to move the power was never really clarified.

In some cases the company referred to the existing lines, in other cases the existing poles, and still other cases referred to the existing right of way to transmit the power.

"We didn't catch it," she said.

In May last year, EPCOR bought Miller Creek Power Ltd.

The Miller Creek hydro project is EPCOR's second hydroelectric investment in B.C. In 2000, the company bought Brown Lake Hydroelectric Station near Prince Rupert.

"We buy the projects from the developer after they have been permitted," said Bob Heath, site manager for EPCOR.

He agrees that the proposed power transmission route was ambiguous at best and there was an inconsistency in the statements.

This is why residents along the Pemberton Meadows Road were shocked to see new culverts on the road three weeks ago and construction workers planning to install new poles.

Most residents believed the power would be transmitted along the existing poles and did not even consider the thought there would be a need for additional hydro poles.

"The perception that it left was that the new hydro lines would be tying into the existing pole line and nobody questioned that. What was not understood in 1999 was that the poles and the line would be replaced with higher poles and more poles," said Gimse.

The new lines were designed by BC Hydro to their specifications.

The existing line along Pemberton Meadows Road is a distribution line, said Heath.

He said there is a separate requirement to get the power from Miller Creek to the Pemberton substation. This is called "overbuild" and is necessary when there are two different circuits on one set of poles.

"It's standard construction throughout B.C.," said Barry Wilkinson, community relations co-ordinator with BC Hydro.

Now both BC Hydro and EPCOR are looking at what measures they can take to mitigate the situation. For example, they might be able to juggle the spacing or alter some of the poll locations.

"BC Hydro has made it clear that they are a part of the community," said Gimse.

"They want to see this resolved. They have halted construction in order for EPCOR, Hydro and the community to have a thorough discussion on the line."

Gimse agrees that residents have a right to be upset.

"They will be impacted by a line. Nobody wants power lines going past their front door," she said.

But residents' concerns go much deeper than the aesthetic loss that comes with more poles and lines in the Pemberton Valley.

They are also worried about the health risks associated with living under more power lines. They are worried about the value of their homes going down.

And they're concerned that the rash of small hydroelectric projects currently being proposed will leave a once pristine Pemberton Valley dotted with power poles.

"If these guys get to do what they want with these power poles... to me that would set a precedent for all these power companies just to keep running more and more power down our valley," said the Pemberton farmer who asked not to be named.

Community members can attend a public meeting on Wednesday, June 5 at 6 p.m. at the Pemberton Community Centre.

At that time BC Hydro and EPCOR will be responding to residents' concerns and presenting possible alternatives to the public.