Attachment: Sedan Creek Letter Oct 24 Watershed Watch Salmon Society

Please find below a letter by Watershed Watch Salmon Society that raises strong concerns about potential wild salmon habitat impacts on Sedan Creek due to a run-of-river hydroelectric proposal. If you could devote some time to write a letter for this cause, this would be greatly appreciated.

If you write a letter you should send it to the following people:

Jason Quigley
Regional Director
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Pacific and Yukon Regional Office
Suite 320, Sinclair Centre, 757 Hastings Street
West Vancouver, BC V6C 1A1
jason.quigley@ceaa-acee.gc.ca

Siegi Kriegl
Area Director
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
417 2nd Ave. West
Prince Rupert, BC
V8J 1G8
Siegi.Kriegl@DFO-MPO.gc.ca

Rebecca Reid
Regional Director
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
OCEANS, HABITAT AND ENHANCEMENT BRANCH
Suite 200 401 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3S4
Rebecca.Reid@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Nathan Cullen, MP (no postage necessary)
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Cullen.N@parl.gc.ca

The original letter (also attached to this post as a PDF):

RE: Sedan Creek Independent Power Project (CEAR ref. # 08-01-41761)

Dear Mr. Quigley,

Watershed Watch Salmon Society (WWSS) has significant concerns regarding the proposed Sedan Creek Independent Power Project (IPP) in the Skeena Watershed. Through preliminary research on this project by WWSS biologists, and through a public meeting held by WWSS and North West Watch in Terrace, BC on Oct. 16, we have reason to believe that this project will result in a net loss of salmon spawning habitat and potentially harmful alteration of salmon spawning and rearing habitat, with an insufficient mitigation plan.

Furthermore, input at our Oct. 16 public meeting from concerned residents living near this proposed development suggests that public participation around this project has been inadequate at best. We are not aware of any public meetings that have been held in the City of Terrace – the closest large town to this proposed project. The Sedan Creek IPP would be the first run-of-river hydroelectric development in the Skeena Watershed to
dewater anadromous salmon habitat, and therefore should require broad public participation within the watershed before being considered for a water license.

As such, WWSS hereby requests public participation under section 18(3) of the CEAA, specifically in the town of Terrace, but also in any other town within 100 km of the proposed development where no public meetings have yet been held.

And WWSS hereby requests the Project File for the Sedan Creek IPP under section 55 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). We expect the Project File to include the following:

  • All correspondence pertaining to the proposed Sedan Creek IPP
  • All documentation of public participation regarding the Sedan Creek IPP including minutes from any public meetings.
  • All documentation of proposed project infrastructure (intake structures, weirs, penstock, powerhouse, tailrace, transmission lines, and other project components including access to the sites) and any construction infrastructure (camps, landings, spoil pits, etc).
  • All documentation, studies, and evaluations pertaining to potential impacts to fish, wildlife, ecologically significant hydrologic and geomorphic processes, and associated mitigation strategies.

Electronic records from the Project File should be sent to wwss@telus.net, and hard copies should be sent to the above address.

Sincerely,
Craig Orr, Ph.D.
Executive Director
CC: Joy Hillier (DFO, Prince Rupert), Dave Carter (CEAA, Vancouver)

Attachment: Sedan Creek Letter Oct 24 Watershed Watch Salmon Society