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This is Ariel Smith's sandbox, for drafting and editing articles. --Arielsmith (talk) 20:29, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Environmental Impacts

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Construction of the dam involved flooding 32,000 acres of land in order to create the Nechako Reservoir [1]. This flooding impacted surrounding agricultural land and caused the loss of 8.7 cubic meters of timber. The reservoir also disrupted existing ecosystems [2], and impacted animals such as beavers, Canadian geese, ducks, moose, and about 100 trumpeter swans, equivalent to one eighth of Canada's swan population [3]. Many animal populations were unable to utilize the river's water where the dam was constructed, and therefore forced to migrate [4]. The Nechako River took four years to fill, causing no flow for 50 miles between the dam and the Nautley River [5]. The fish population in this section of the river were trapped and died. In the first two years of operations, smelter emissions from the Alcan plant were believed to have caused further forest depletion, local worker health problems, and aquatic ecosystem harm [6].

Impacts on Fisheries Industry

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Although there was a general public acceptance of the proposed hydroelectric dam and Alcan smelter plant in the Fraser River region, the fisheries sector was outspoken about the dam’s potential effects on salmon reproductive patterns [7]. There were limitations to long-term streamflow and ecosystems data in the Fraser River and its tributaries, which has made specific impacts of river diversion hard to evaluate [8]. Hydroelectric development in the region was seen in the media as being disruptive to important Fraser salmon spawning areas [9]. Although studies had not been rigorously implemented, fisheries scientists did know that the Chilko Lake was a very habitable and productive environment for salmon, and preliminary calculations by the Department of Fisheries showed that the Chilko Lake held up to three-quarters of the Fraser’s total sockeye spawned in the region, two years of the four-year cycles [10].

As the fisheries committee began to extend political and scientific studies to the government to encourage them to revise the Alcan project, the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission (IPSFC) produced a new report at the Chilko Lake [11]. This report gave a better understand of the existing health of salmon in the region, and the potential effects that could be caused by dam construction around the lake [12]. With more substantive data on dam development effects on fish populations, the fisheries sector urged Alcan to consider certain dam requirements.

The staff at the IPSFC and the Department of Fisheries surveyed the Nechako River and discovered that the loss of salmon spawning grounds would not be the main threat to sockeye populations in dam construction [13], but it was the diversion of the river’s natural flow that would cause the most impact to the sockeye population [14]. Dam and reservoir construction caused the upper Nechako River to lose almost 100% of its natural flow [15]. Diversion resulted in extremely low water levels for the Nechako River [16]. Research showed that because of the massive amount of water to be transmitted to the coast, there would be a loss of water during the spring and summer months, causing reduced flow [17]. Therefore, the Nechako riverbed would be affected, as well as causing a rise in water temperatures, which would make summer migration for salmon more difficult [18].

Due to these concerns, the Department of Fisheries asked Alcan to assist the river’s flow during the summer months [19]. Eventually both parties agreed to an extra spillway on the Cheslatta Lake that would promote the natural flow of the river during these dry periods. The Cheslatta, a tributary of the Nechako would hold a spillway and reservoir to supply the water needed in sockeye migration during the summer months [20]. The river regained between 60 and 70% of flow three years after the spillway was implemented [21].

Group Feedback

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Hey Ariel. I added the reference things for you at the end. You'll just need to copy and paste them where you need them and change the page numbers. .--Tgreer00 (talk) 05:53, 30 March 2012 (UTC)
Hi Ariel, I did a quick copy-and-paste into Word and I think your section could use a bit of editing down since it is quite long. I also think it's important to bear in mind that this is a section on impacts - so although some background might be appropriate, stuff like the consideration of alternative sites probably doesn't go best here. This Environment Canada document might be helpful: http://www.ec.gc.ca/inre-nwri/default.asp?lang=En&n=0CD66675-1&offset=6&toc=show. Also, I think the first section on general environmental impacts needs some citations, and it adopts a bit of an argumentative tone in asserting that the effects were not adequately assessed. --Ebsutton (talk) 06:03, 30 March 2012 (UTC)
Hey Ariel, there is some more specifics on environmental impacts in the Christensen book. I've sent you an email with some of the notes I took while reading it.--Tgreer00 (talk) 23:59, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Hey Ariel,

Would you be able to specify how Chilko Lake relates to the construction of the Kenney Dam as I feel like some readers won't know this. Also you may be able to omit the last part concerning the spillway as I mention that info in my section.let me know your thoughts.

Chuksha (talk) 01:26, 1 April 2012 (UTC)

Hey Ariel. This section is tricky because it is one that may be controversial. Just a one thing I think will help is using more specifics. For example, since we know how much timber was lost during flooding, we could mention the amount. I also think the fact that the reservoir took four years to fill is important to mention in environmental impacts. It caused flow problems and forced animals that relied on that section of the river to migrate. I'm just a bit concerned that without specifics the article reads a bit more like an argument and less like "this it what happened" and I think wikipedia is more for "this is what happened". --Tgreer00 (talk) 20:10, 1 April 2012 (UTC)


Hey Ariel,

I'm still incredibly confused as to what Chilko lake has to do with the Kenney Dam...Chilko lake is really far south of the nechako river..was Chilko lake a proposed site for the dam? Also is there information in the IPSFC report that discusses how the Dam effects the fish, for example is there a quantitative analysis on the salmon population as a result of the Dam?

Chuksha (talk) 01:04, 2 April 2012 (UTC)

References

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  1. ^ Christensen, 38.
  2. ^ Christensen, 106.
  3. ^ Christensen, 51-52.
  4. ^ Christensen, 51-52.
  5. ^ Christensen, 42.
  6. ^ Environment Canada. Threats to Water Availability in Canada, (Ontario, 2004: Minister of Public Works and Government Canada, 2004), 4.
  7. ^ Matthew Evenden. Fish Versus Power: An Environmental History of the Fraser River, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 157.
  8. ^ Environment Canada, 4.
  9. ^ Evenden, 158.
  10. ^ Evenden, 158.
  11. ^ Evenden, 163.
  12. ^ Evenden, 163.
  13. ^ Evenden, 163.
  14. ^ Evenden, 172.
  15. ^ Environment Canada, 4.
  16. ^ Christensen, 120.
  17. ^ Evenden, 172.
  18. ^ Christensen, 189.
  19. ^ Evenden, 173.
  20. ^ Evenden, 175.
  21. ^ Environment Canada, 4.
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