BC Hydro reserve consultant regularly warned bosses about fracking risk to dams, FOI papers show
A dam-safety dilettante during BC Hydro regularly lifted concerns about a vicinity of fracking operations to dams in northeastern B.C. and a risk of repairs from fracking-induced earthquakes, according to papers collected by Freedom of Information requests — but a concerns were discharged by his superiors.
The inner papers were obtained by a Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and enclosed in a news titled Peace Canyon Frack-Up, in that author Ben Parfitt says fracking — and a earthquakes it can means — might threaten dam infrastructure.
Some of BC Hydro’s biggest dams are found in a Peace Region. It’s an area dotted with healthy gas operations — many of that now rest on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to remove a gas. The application operates a outrageous W.A.C. Bennett Dam and Peace Canyon Dam on a Peace River and is building its Site C Dam on a same river.
The documents, that have been common with CBC News, show BC Hydro dam reserve specialist Scott Gilliss repeatedly lifting a emanate of earthquakes caused by fracking, a boost of circuitously fracking activity and dam reserve with superiors.
The papers uncover that Gilliss is told his “broken record” warnings have been listened and brought to a “highest level” — provincial ministers.
But according to the documents and Parfitt’s report, that’s as distant as it went. Gilliss was told it was a “dead issue.”
Previous warnings
In 2016, CBC News lonesome Parfitt’s work and similar warnings he unclosed during a time, though a apparatus process researcher says he has collected most some-more information in 3 years value of additional FOI requests.
“We have schooled that there are most larger risks to BC Hydro’s dams, and in sold a Peace Canyon Dam, should earthquakes start circuitously a dams,” he said. “The Peace Canyon Dam has famous foundational problems, that there is an increasing risk to repairs to that dam by circuitously earthquakes.”
In November 2018, a 4.5 bulk trembler — believed to be caused by fracking — was felt during a Site C Dam construction site which led to a brief work blocking and investigation to safeguard there was no damage.
When Parfitt’s warnings were initial aired, Chris O’Riley, afterwards emissary CEO of BC Hydro, pronounced concerns about risks from fracking were overblown. Now, notwithstanding a new documents, a utility’s position is unchanged.
“We don’t trust there’s any regard for a reserve of a dams,” pronounced Bob Schubak, executive of dam reserve during BC Hydro. “We would acknowledge that a really tighten trembler would means some repairs to a equipment.”
But he pronounced damage would be singular to shutting down energy era — not anything that would concede a constructional firmness of a Peace Canyon Dam which is only upland from a city of Hudson’s Hope.
Peace Canyon Dam issues
Parfitt pronounced that BC Hydro ought to immediately commence seismic upgrades to safeguard disaster doesn’t strike during Peace Canyon Dam.
According to Schubak, a application is already deliberation work to move a dam, that was finished in 1980, adult to complicated seismic standards. He pronounced ascent projects are approaching in a late 2020s.
Parfitt also called on a B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, that regulates fracking operations, to anathema all fracking within 10 kilometres of hydroelectric dams. Parfitt suggests any fracking within a 15-kilometre operation over that should be privately certified after clever consideration.
The elect pronounced in a created matter that there are no fracking wells within five kilometres of any BC Hydro dam, and nothing within 10 kilometres of a W.A.C. Bennett or Peace Canyon dams.
Listen to interviews with Parfitt and Schubak by clicking play on a audio below.
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Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fracking-earthquakes-hydro-dam-vulnerability-1.5420287?cmp=rss