BC Hydro is working with Indigenous communities to build long term relationships by incorporating their interests into the Site C project and finding ways to avoid, mitigate and minimize impacts together.
We continue to engage with local First Nations and invite their input to help shape the project design and mitigation efforts.
Here are a few changes we've made to address concerns raised by Indigenous groups:
Tree clearing and debris management: To reduce the amount of debris that may end up in the water and at the dam site, we're clearing trees that pose a risk to boater safety and dam operations. Trees are cut and burned, bucked into short logs, chipped or mulched. Some trees will remain in the lower reaches and on steep slopes where it is unsafe to work. Merchantable trees will be hauled to local mills when practical.
To capture floating debris at the dam construction site, we're building retention structures on the Peace River and the Moberly River, which will catch the remaining logs, vegetation and some ice. These debris structures will be cleared regularly.
By working together, we've achieved:
Where there are impacts we cannot avoid, we're working closely with First Nations to ensure those sites are managed in a culturally appropriate manner.