Mother Nature Keeps the Peace River “Open”.

Today is the historic date that BC Hydro dictated the Peace River would be closed to navigation through the Site C dam location. Apparently they forgot to consult with Mother Nature first, because the high water flow due to rain has trumped what BCH had planned for now.

While BCH may have big signs posted along the river to stop boaters from passing through, “rafts” of debris, root balls and full length trees are freely flowing through as they have for millennia. The river will have to settle down before attempts are made at installing the debris booms. It is indeed kind of ironic, and once again highlights yet one more problem with large hydro dams: High water events with debris are no problem for free flowing rivers, but once you dam a river, or work on building a dam, debris turns into a man-made problem that requires much time and money to deal with.

Just one more part of the “stupid to the last drop” aspect of large hydro.