A second public hearing on the proposed Ashlu River independent power project (IPP) is scheduled Nov. 17 at the Sea to Sky Hotel in Squamish.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District board set the date for the hearing at its meeting last Thursday (Oct. 28) in Pemberton.
SLRD planning consultant Susan Stratis presented a lengthy report of the IPP process, including a first and second reading of an amended bylaw to rezone the location for the proposed 49-megawatt micro-hydro facility.
So far, the proposal has drawn opposition from kayakers and a host of others in the community. Opponents say the project would harm tourism and environmental values in the area.
Stratis said the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Navigable Waters Protection Division of Transport Canada looked at two of the main issues arising from the proposed IPP, including grizzly bear habitat and environmental impacts. She said federal officials rated the impacts either low or zero once mitigation is complete.
Navigable Waters recommended weekend releases of water be provided for the kayaking community during certain months, with trips having to be booked on-line beforehand.
Stratis said that while the two organizations endorsed the IPP, both agencies admitted their mandates were narrow.
Stratis noted that SLRD staff "remain highly concerned about the lack of overall river strategy for IPP developments."
"There are some definite uncertainties," she said, noting concerns about impacts on grizzly habitat and tourism.
"I don't believe we are the appropriate agency to be resolving some of these issues."
