Vancouver – An Open House for a private power project near Chilliwack is expected to draw a crowd of citizens concerned over its environmental impact.

“Cloudworks Energy Inc. wants to make a buck by putting three vital local creeks into pipes – so naturally the community is standing up to show their opposition,” said the Wilderness Committee's Outreach Director, Sven Biggs. The Open House will be held Thursday, January 19, 5pm to 9pm at Evergreen Hall, Cheam Room at 9291 Corbould Street in Chilliwack.

The streams at risk from this proposed project are Tretheway, Shovel and Big Silver, located to the east of Harrison Lake. The Cloudworks project is the latest example of a province-wide “gold rush” of river and stream privatizations.

“This proposal is unacceptable for a number of reasons, not least of which is that two of these creeks are fish-bearing and the road-building and construction will fragment habitat for a number of other at-risk species,” said Biggs.

Other environmental concerns include the tonnes of waste rock from construction of a 1.8 km long tunnel on Big Silver Creek, and the related risk of acid rock run off. There are also concerns about erosion, landslides and downstream siltation – problems that have occurred with other Cloudworks private power developments. Cloudworks projects on the Upper Harrison and Rutherford Creek came under fire for low environmental standards.

“These so-called ‘run-of-river’ projects are not just bad for the environment they are also bad for the economy,” said Biggs. “BC Hydro will be forced to buy the power from this proposal and sell it at a loss and BC taxpayers are already on the hook for over $30 billion in long-term contracts with private power companies like Cloudworks. It is time for BC to get out of the business of privatizing rivers and creeks.”

Contact:

Sven Biggs, Outreach Director, Wilderness Committee (604) 683–8220 - cell (778) 882-8354