site c dam flood map

The panel worked under Canada’s Minister of the Environment and the British Columbia Minister of Environment. However, these hiring agreements have been used more often as an advertisement campaign and are not enforced (Hunter, 2015). However, the panel also concludes that there is no need for such a massive hydroelectric project in the near term and that smaller, less economically risky, and less environmentally costly alternatives (such as geothermal power) exist that BC Hydro is not willing to invest in. No evident local legislation exists that will have any impact on the Site C dam. (2015, March 8). It would be located on the Peace River in northeastern British Columbia. This paper effectively draws on information from an enormous amount of other peer-reviewed journal articles to come to an overall understanding of the impacts of dams. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The report goes into great detail about all aspects of the project and outlines the costs and benefits in terms of the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of Site C. In particular, the report states that Site C has potential to create significant economic benefits for future electricity consumers in British Columbia and that greenhouse emissions in BC could be reduced by investing in hydroelectric power instead of to LNG power. These products provide a more user friendly analysis of flood risks within a Risk MAP project. I believe this is a very reliable reference that brings forth an unbiased review of Site C. It is evident the review panel was not swayed by the interests of BC hydro, making the costs and benefits of all stakeholders involved in the project evident. Development Advice Map. The Peace River Valley in northeast British Columbia is a unique ecosystem and one of the very few areas in the region that so far has been largely preserved from large-scale resource development. This source is a report done by a joint review panel on the Site C Clean Energy Project. British Columbia Utilities Commission. This is called a Letter of Map Change (LOMC) request. Find out more about different types of flood risks. The discussion section can be bias towards the authors perspective, but the rest of the information presented can taken as genuine. (2014, October 3). Report of the Joint Review Panel – Site C Clean Energy Project. The company claims there are easily accessible pockets of energy that could be developed for only a fraction of the cost of Site C, and could provide BC with an immense amount of energy (Stueck, 2014). This treaty is in place to protect the traditional use of the lands by the First Nations, an agreement that will be violated by the Site C project. The conclusions in this paper are also quite noteworthy since the article draws on so many other articles and is able to bring forth insightful ways that future dam planning could be improved. Treaty 8 First Nations Court Challenge against Site C began last week. Since then, the provincial government has been cutting out any undesirable stakeholder dissention. In recent years, many geothermal resources have been discovered along the coast of BC. (Original) map showing The Newhall Land and Farming's Co.'s property and the St. Francis Dam and reservoir site, from Newhall Land's "Report on St. Francis Dam Flood" dated March 24, 1928. If usage was spread throughout the day, BC Hydro could provide the same amount of electricity to users while using less power overall (Corson, Regan, and Carlson, 2014). This structure, or lack thereof, becomes apparent when analyzing the project’s governance framework. Utilities Commission. It would provide electricity to 450,000 homes annually in British Columbia and create an 83-kilometre-long reservoir upstream of the dam along the Peace River (BC Hydro, 2015). The Edmonton Journal. The 2007 Energy Plan and the 2008 Climate Action Plan have implemented steep emissions goals of 93 percent clean energy generation and require fossil based electricity generation to have a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target (Ministry of Energy & Mines). These regulatory flood maps are called a Flood Insurance Rate Map. The federal government is required to assess environmental impacts, and social and economic feasibility of large projects where influence reaches beyond the provincial border. For nearly a decade, The Tyee has reported on a rising number of earthquakes caused by the hydraulic fracturing of shale formations in the region. (2015). Agricultural Land Affected by Site C Dam. Queen’s Printer. In order to come to a resolution involving any large issue, there must exist a solid decision-making matrix that adequately represents all parties’ interests. You can also see all the areas we cover for free flood warnings and alerts. A second potential solution could be to invest instead in smaller scale renewable forms of energy. Having significant and direct influence, the provincial government and its ministries are heavily involved in the creation and alteration of provincial legislation. Environmental and livelihood impacts of dams: common lessons across development gradients that challenge sustainability. Although former B.C. Secondly, the report emphasizes the fact that the economic benefits will come with significant negative social and environmental impacts that will be borne by the First Nations and residents of the Peace region whose traditional activities are mainly based on local ecosystem services. Some lenders will refer to this form as a Flood Cert. The provincial government has created very specific loopholes and legislations nearly ensuring the future of Site C dam. Wilderness Committee. The methods used to come to these general conclusions about the effects of dams included researching many different case studies on dams projects in different regions of the world to examine common emerging themes in environmental impacts. The B.C. premier Christy Clark vowed to push the $9-billion Site C dam past the “point of no return” before the May 2017 provincial election, the fate of the most expensive public project in B.C.’s history is still far from certain.. B.C.’s new NDP government has vowed to send the dam for an expedited review of costs and demand by the B.C. WHAT IS A FLOOD MAP? It takes a lot of power to supply electricity to many consumers all at once (i.e. The report states that greenhouse emissions in BC could be reduced by investing in hydroelectric power instead of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Specifically, flood maps show a community’s flood zone, floodplain boundaries, and base flood elevation. The only weakness to this report is that there are not sources cited for the various claims made, since this is not a primary source of literature. Currently, residential consumers of electricity in BC have the third lowest rates in North America (Hydro Quebec, 2015). This source is a peer-reviewed research paper that examines the social and environmental impacts of dams in different regions of the world that are at different stages of economic development. Implementing energy storage for peak-load shifting. The author’s main argument is that many of the methods used to dampen the environmental effects of dams are not actually working and much more must be done to improve the protection of the environment in dam projects. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQDbBWjbxng, Wilderness Committee. Site C dam would result in the largest withdrawal from the agricultural land reserve in BC's history. To help coastal communities understand and reduce their flood risk, FEMA has initiated coastal flood risk studies for 100 percent of the populated coastline. When the act was first created in 2010, there were three important sections from which Site C was made specifically exempt. Retrieved from: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100028809/1100100028811, Environmental Systems Research Institute. The report notes BC hydro has underestimated the social and environmental costs of the project and has not performed enough research on these topics which has resulted in erroneous conclusions. Bennett Dam. Huge disparities in influence are apparent upon inspection of the governance framework of large hydroelectric projects in British Columbia. One potential solution entails changing the pricing of electricity in BC. Retrieved from: http://www.csemag.com/single-article/implementing-energy-storage-for-peak-load-shifting/95b3d2a5db6725428142c5a605ac6d89.html, Henton, D. (2008). Local complaints have largely gone ignored (Hume, 2015) and even with plenty of media coverage the government still has not swayed. Video showing the importance of the Peace River Valley to its local residents. A summary of demand response in electricity markets. As a group, we have come to the conclusion that there is no need for such a massive hydroelectric project in the near term. Ministry of Energy & Mines. Manage data with Preliminary Flood Hazard Data, National Flood Hazard Layer, and Hazus. Currently no international agreements govern the development of hydroelectric dams in Canada. during peak hours). Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. This construction involves numerous stakeholders, therefore different motivations regarding water use have appeared. Sign up for emails to receive flood hazard mapping updates. Retrieved from: http://www.hydroquebec.com/publications/en/corporate-documents/comparaison-electricity-prices.html, Madill, D. F. K. (1986). Cooperating Technical Partners are communities, regional agencies, state agencies, universities and tribal nations that become more active participants in the FEMA flood hazard mapping program. Stop Site C. Retrieved from: http://www.stopsitec.org/treaty_8_first_nations_court_challenge_against_site_c_began_last_week, Peterson, L. (2014). Local hiring agreements have also been made to ensure a small portion of the economic growth will remain in the area. Retrieved from http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/00_10022_01#section6, Government of British Columbia. As a less environmentally destructive alternative with low emissions and reasonable development costs, geothermal energy presents a viable alternative to the creation of Site C. Although turning to geothermal power would be a safe investment that would eliminate the initial financial losses of Site C, switching from one form of energy to another is not a simple endeavor (Ministry of Environment, 2014). The latest employment statistics show that there were 5,181 total workers on the Site C project in October 2020. Employment rates are a very good indicator of social stability in our province. In all, time-of-use pricing is an effective tool that would reduce the amount of energy consumed in BC and potentially eliminate the need for a large scale hydroelectric development with a very low cost. Perhaps the most egregious factor is not the Site C dam itself, but the way government legislation has been fine tuned to meet a biased set of goals. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/report-touts-accessible-geothermal-resources-potential-alternative-to-site-c/article21840527/, BC Hydro. The Development Advice Map is for land use planning purposes and will be replaced by the new Flood Map for Planning in Spring 2021. The panel concludes that there is no need for such a massive hydroelectric project in the near term and that smaller, less economically risky, and less environmentally costly alternatives exist that BC Hydro is not willing to invest in. Firstly, according to the Joint Review Panel, working under Canada’s Minister of the Environment, and the BC Minister of Environment, Site C has the potential to create significant economic benefits for future electricity consumers in British Columbia (Ministry of Environment, 2014). B.C. Together, they form a precautionary framework to guide planning decisions. It will be very difficult for citizens to convince our rigid provincial governments of this fact, given their all-controlling power on the issue. For additional information or assistance, contact a Map Specialist in the FEMA Mapping and Insurance eXchange (FMIX). It appears that many of the methods currently used to dampen the environ… Map (DAM) shows areas at risk of flooding for the purposes of land-use planning. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.. Living with dams: Managing the environmental impacts. Understanding flood zones and maps. (2015) Comparison of Electricity Prices in Major North American Cities. Retrieved from http://www.bcuc.com/CorpProfile.aspx, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. This is literature from the British Columbia Ministry of Energy & Mines. Retrieved from http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/. The Globe and Mail. With the Site C dam, the British Columbia provincial government and the Canadian federal government are the key decision-makers. It would be be the third dam located on the Peace River. This flooded area is likely to cause massive alterations of ecosystem and biodiversity. Albadi, M.H. Retrieved from: http://y2y.net/work/what-hot-projects/site_c_dam, PVEA Coordinator. The creation of Site C dam along the Peace River in northeastern British Columbia will be the biggest hydroelectric power project the Province has seen in the last 30 years. Each flood zone describes the flood risk for a particular area, and those flood zones are used to determine insurance requirements and costs. Zoom into your location of interest to find out more. gains on Alberta’s power pain. Site C would flood 83km of the Peace River, widening it by up to 3 times, as well as 10km of the Moberly and 14km of the Halfway Rivers. Site C is a proposed 60-metre high, 1,050-metre-long earth-filled dam and hydroelectric generation station that would be located on the Peace River between the communities of Hudson's Hope and Taylor in northeastern British Columbia. Flood maps are an important part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as it show a community’s risk of flooding. No account required; Manually researched; FEMA Flood Map Specialist or CFM A lock ( The DAM should be used alongside Planning Policy Wales and Technical Advice Note (TAN) 15 to guide new development away from areas at risk of flooding wherever possible. This map shows the current status of all active flood insurance studies throughout the state. I can apply this information to the Site C since it is a new project that has yet to be heavily researched. (2015). Flood mapping is an important part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), as it is the basis of the NFIP regulations and flood insurance requirements. Flood zones are indicated in a community’s flood map. Hydro Quebec. Flood maps on this site are displayed over Bing maps. SFHA are defined as the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Turn all Relevant Past Flood Layers On The past flood event summary report summarises all past flood events within 2.5 kilometres of a chosen location on the map. The main purpose of this review is to bring forth an unbiased analysis of BC hydro’s plan for the creation of the Site C dam. Developing alternative energy sources such as geothermal would be a much smaller investment that would allow the supply of energy to better match demand. Flood mapping is an important part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), as it is the basis of the NFIP regulations and flood insurance requirements. Retrieved from http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96473_01, Ministry of Environment. Mind Map that interconnects all the relevant stakeholders to the Site C project. and El-Saadany, E.F. 2008. It is said that this area could feed up to 1 million people (1/4 of the province’s population).The maps created by Delorme shows the length of Site C reservoir (in blue) and the area that is about to be lost. The sheer amount of references in this article shows that the authors were taking an unbiased approach to the topic and considering the issue from all potential points of view. FEMA's flood mapping program is called Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning, or Risk MAP. The area that the reservoir will be flooding is within the lands of the First Nations that are protected under the Treaty 8 agreement from 1899 (Madill, 1986). Retrieved from http://theglobeandmail.com/, Stodalka, W. (2015, October 5). Our current provincial government puts jobs at the forefront: there would be significant backlash from a large group of workers and families if Site C did not go through. To create a report zoom and click on a location of intrest - a symbol will appear on the map, then click on the button below to view the report in a new tab. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Flood hazard areas identified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map are identified as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). (2015). Retrieved from: https://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/documents/p63919/99173E.pdf. It is evident that this conflict was foreseen by those writing legislation and the documents were edited in favour of the provincial government. Geothermal power is a renewable source of energy that comes from heat stored within the Earth. The W. A. C. Bennett Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in northern British Columbia, Canada.At 186 metres (610 ft) high, it is one of the world's highest earth fill dams.Construction of the dam began in 1961 and culminated in 1968. There has not been any proof showing absolute necessity of the Site C dam, in fact alternatives are lined out in the Joint Panel Review (Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, 2014). Flood Vendor Services Available to homeowners. As with any project of this scale, there is some uncertainty and instability involved. The government knows its position well and sees no need to yield to public opinion (Stodalka, 2015). BC will accumulate a serious financial loss in the short term if Site C is developed (Ministry of Environment, 2014). Dam breach and flood modelling techniques were used to produce a national set of reservoir flood maps for England and Wales. It will be very useful for my research because of its over-arching findings and as well as its reference to many other papers on hydroelectric dams that I could potentially use for my research. However, the Canadian and BC government have both adopted climate change and clean air policies (Government of British Columbia, 2015). 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