The Keenleyside 150 MW Powerplant
Project (KPP 150) involves the installation of a 140 to 180 MW powerplant
adjacent to B.C. Hydro's existing Hugh Keenleyside Dam on the Columbia
River near Castlegar in southeastern B.C. Another component of this
project is the construction of a 230 kilovolt transmission line
to connect the plant to B.C. Hydro's transmission grid. Powerplant
planning and development is being managed by Columbia Power Corporation
(CPC) and the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT).
The purpose of this socio-economic
impact assessment is to update the 1995 Keenleyside socio-economic
assessment (completed by McDaniels Research Ltd.), which evaluated
a proposed 220 MW powerplant at Keenleyside and a transmission line
to Selkirk substation. Since that time, industry economics have
changed and CPC began investigations to determine if the project
could be made more economically viable with fewer environmental
impacts. The KPP 150 Project is a result of these investigations
- it entails certain modifications to the original design including
reduced scale and an alternative site configuration.
The socio-economic impact assessment
is intended to meet the requirements for completion of a final project
report under the BC Environmental Assessment Act. The report
is broken down into several sections:
Regional Overview
- A description of the physical setting and history, current and
future population, the economy, housing supply, and traffic and
transportation of the study area.
The Keenleyside
150 MW Project -
A description of the powerplant, the proposed operation, and transmission.
Socio-Economic
Impacts - An analysis of KPP 150 impacts
on the following socio-economic areas: economic (direct employment
and income, indirect, induced, distribution of economic effects,
training and business development, and operational); population;
housing; land and water use (powerplant, transmission line, noise
and vibration, and regional planning); traffic; recreation; community
infrastructure and services; impacts on resource users; and, community
perceptions.
The major socio-eonomic effects
that would result from the KPP 150 project are: employment and income
impacts, traffic impacts and recreation impacts. It is estimated
that the construction phase of the project would create about 1100
worker years of total direct employment, including both generation
and transmission. A four year construction program is projected,
and the peak year for employment would occur in Year 3. About 85%
of the average construction workforce would be hired from within
100 km of the site. Total local economic effects of the project
would be approximately 1200 worker years of employment (includes
direct and indirect employment) and an income of $60 million.
Heavy vehicles would use the Robson-Broadwater
Highway to access the construction site resulting in some congestion,
noise and possible safety hazards. Some traffic disruption could
occur during realignment of a portion of the highway near the site
and during blasting for excavation of the powerhouse. The roadway
across the Keenleyside Dam would be closed during construction of
the powerplant. Columbia Avenue in Castlegar would experience limited
congestion from workforce commuters.
The undeveloped area upstream of
the dam known as "Driftwood Beach", presently used as
a recreation area by local residents, would be permanently closed
at the beginning of construction. CPC proposes to develop alternative
facilities for recreation purposes following consultation with local
residents. Shore angling at the rock promontory 400 metres downstream
of the dam would be displaced during construction, but would re-open
when the project is complete, with additional parking facilities
and trail access to the river. There would likely be increased use
of Syringa Creek Park until additional new facilities are developed.
Impact Management
Strategies - Mitigation strategies that
were recommended for the 220 MW project, and which are applicable
to the 150 MW project, are as follows: *
