‘Run of the River’ Hydro Power for Native Community

From the Vancouver Sun …

In an example of a new economic venture for a small aboriginal group on Vancouver Island, the Hupacasath First Nation is building a ‘run of the river’ hydro project to generate 6.5 megawatts of electricty for its community and for other communities in the area. ‘Run of the river’ hydro projects typically divert water from a canyon or other steep and fast moving section of river and return the water to the river after it has turned turbines. The article describes the process by which the Hupacasath made their decision to undertake the project. One of the key factors is the fact that the river is impassable by salmon and, thus, the project does not endanger a salmon run.

A very similar ‘run of the river’ project is being constructed in northern British Columbia on the Iskut River near the village where I conducted my field research. Like the example from Vancouver Island, the safety and protection of a large salmon run on the Iskut River was a prime concern for aboriginal groups in the north.

Besides its size (it is designed for 100 megawatts), the striking difference between these two situations is that the Hupacasath are fully involved in the project and majority owners of it. The Tahltan communities in the north were consulted about the Forrest-Kerr/Iskut River project but will not see the benefits of ownership the way the Hupacasath will. I write about the consultation process in my dissertation and I am interested in the way in which the northern communities responded to the development. It would be fantastic to make a comparative study with the Hupacasath experience, which seems so much more inclusive and beneficial to the local community.

Note also that the article points to a couple of economic projects the Hupacasath First Nation is developing … including a quarrying development to send crushed rock to California. There are interesting and innovative ideas for building employment and generating monies described in the piece.

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