site c dam geotechnical issues

We know that these days the world’s problems can feel a *touch* overwhelming. But whether or not Milburn’s findings will be made public remains to be seen. Oct 15, 2020. “They swell and shrink. Premier to give update, B.C. They say an independent team of experts should determine if the problems can be resolved and at what cost. Hydro previously had to address geotechnical problems at Site C. Some tension cracks emerged on the left (or north) bank of the Peace River when the B.C. Direct award contracts — which are prohibited by the federal government if they are larger than $25,000, unless they are needed for special justifications such as a national emergency — allow BC Hydro to decide which companies get contracts instead of going through a more transparent and competitive tender process. The Muskrat Falls Dam pictured here under construction in April 2018 was the subject of a public inquiry due to the project’s high costs. She got her start in journalism at UBC’s…. since the board began meeting in January 2018, using weekly information from BC Hydro to review expenditures and progress on the dam. BC Hydro also warned of the “likely” risk of additional engineering costs. The independent commission found the Site C dam’s final price tag could exceed $12 billion and the same amount of energy could be produced by a suite of renewables, including wind, for $8.8 billion or less. According to documents on BC Hydro’s website, the project assurance board is at the centre of Site C dam communications among BC Hydro’s board of directors, the energy ministry, and treasury board and/or the finance ministry. missing cowboy case, Secret COVID-19 report on B.C. will flood 128 kilometres of the Peace River and its tributaries, putting Indigenous burial sites and traditional hunting and trapping grounds, some of Canada’s best farmland and habitat for more than 100 species at risk of extinction under up to 50 metres of water. BC Hydro also said it hasn’t figured out how to resolve grave geotechnical issues, which require shoring up the unstable foundation of the earthen dam, powerhouse and spillways. after the NDP took power in 2017.). In making the announcement, Premier John Horgan stated that while Site C should never have been started, the project has been pushed past the point of no return over the past few years. On Oct. 21, The Narwhal reported that two top B.C. The documents showed that several BC Hydro dam safety officials and engineers knew of weak bedrock underlying the Peace Canyon dam upstream of the Site C project, and that the dam’s less than desirable foundation of shale “rock” made the dam vulnerable to damage by earthquakes triggered by nearby natural gas company fracking and disposal well operations. He cautioned against “pressure to accept a substandard product to finish on time” and noted the application of shotcrete — sprayed concrete — in the tunnels was “inconsistent.”, By Sept. 1, 2019, the Site C dam’s entire contingency fund had been spent, with five years of construction still ahead, according to documents obtained by The Narwhal. Yet British Columbians — the owners of the publicly funded dam on the Peace River — didn’t learn about the project’s escalating troubles for more than a year, until Energy Minister Bruce Ralston held a brief press conference on July 31, the same day BC Hydro released overdue Site C dam reports. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS). It’s easy to feel like what we do doesn’t make any difference, but becoming a member of The Narwhal is one small way you truly can make a difference. Those efforts should include making it a “high priority” to develop a hydrogeological model of the right bank to determine how the bank would respond to reservoir filling, the board said. Credit: BC … city, Vancouver couple accused of vaccine queue jumping, Elephant herd frolics in snow at Tucson zoo, CTV News Vancouver at Six for Tuesday, January 26, 2021. The core components of the dam are now in question due to the lack of solid ground on which to anchor the dam structure, powerhouse and spillways — an issue flagged years ago by both SNC Lavalin and Klohn Crippen as a potential project risk. ), “The suspicion is that the initial placement of the powerhouse was found to be over an especially weak spot,” Swain said. If completed, the Site C dam will flood 128 kilometres of the Peace River and its tributaries, putting Indigenous burial sites and traditional hunting and trapping grounds, some of Canada’s best farmland and habitat for more than 100 species at risk of extinction under up to 50 metres of water. Photo: Jayce Hawkins / The Narwhal, Stability of the dam found to be a 'significant risk' in May 2019, more than a year before information about deepening geotechnical problems and escalating costs were shared with the public, Two top B.C. Also on the Site C project assurance board is Joe Ehasz, the California-based program manager for AECOM Energy & Construction, a company that had received $225,000 in Site C dam contracts by May 2017. But by Sept. 1, 2019, according to the documents, the entire contingency fund had been spent, with five years of construction still ahead. The Site C project is located in a geographical area filled with faults that can become critically stressed during fracking operations, which are poised to expand significantly in the region to supply gas for the LNG Canada export project. In a press release, West Moberly First Nations noted that BC Hydro is withholding its two latest quarterly Site C dam progress reports from the B.C. As of July this year, more than 4,600 workers were employed on the Site C hydroelectric dam project, according to BC Hydro, about 3,400 of whom were British Columbians. The other representative is Wanamaker, who in 2017 challenged the commission’s final findings about the Site C project in a six-page letter to the commission that seemed to suggest the new NDP government was searching for a rationale to continue the project. That would take care of the homelessness problem, unequitable incomes, First Nations health and several other things, all at once.”, People always tell us they love our newsletter. Utilities Commission that “the foundation enhancement costs are expected to be much higher than initially expected.”, Board members include three other BC Hydro directors, Concert Properties CEO David Podmore and Lorne Sivertson, an. In July, when BC Hydro released the overdue reports, the public utility said it didn’t know when the Site C dam — slated for completion in 2024 — will be finished or how much it will cost beyond its current $10.7 billion budget. It is a Shaftbury shale which was mud some 70 million years ago. Ralston announced in July that the government has appointed Peter Milburn, a former deputy minister of finance and secretary to the Treasury Board, as a special Site C project advisor who will work with BC Hydro and the Site C project assurance board to examine the project and provide the government with independent advice. deputy finance minister was appointed in early August and he is due to release a report in the coming weeks. Sarah Cox. Reward offered in B.C. The documents reveal new information about the dam’s geotechnical struggles and raise troubling questions about who in government knew about the project’s climbing costs and deepening geotechnical woes, when they knew it and why the information was not made public. And at a time when most news organizations have been laying off reporters, we’ve hired eight journalists in less than a year. Photo: Jayce Hawkins. The primary area of focus was the main civil works — the dam structure, powerhouse and spillways — according to the documents. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2020. On Sept. 12, 2019, nearly one year before the public learned of the project’s rising price tag, BC Hydro informed the assurance board that geotechnical risks were “likely,” potentially increasing costs and causing a schedule delay. Swain said the safety review should follow investigations by independent geotechnical engineering experts. In 2017 and 2018, more than 10,000 earthquakes occurred in the wider area, including, one that shook the Site C dam construction site. Those signing the letter urge Premier John Horgan to appoint an independent panel to assess geotechnical issues at Site C and to release those findings before making a decision about the future of the dam. In August 2019, according to records obtained by The Narwhal through a separate freedom of information request, the company’s subsidiary AECOM Technical Services also received a $132,000 Site C dam contract to provide an “independent construction advisor” for the project. Along with embattled engineering giant SNC Lavalin, also a major donor to the BC Liberal Party, Klohn Crippen began to receive direct award Site C contracts after former Premier Gordon Campbell announced in 2010 that the project would proceed to review. It’s bad public policy because you don’t have transparency.”. Premier John Horgan created the project assurance board in December 2017 after his government approved the dam and added another $2 billion to the project budget. The May 2019 report from the technical advisory board — shared with BC Hydro executives and the project assurance board members on May 31 of that year — identifies six “significant” technical risks. “This is a tone that says ‘you’ve got to do a ton of work right now, and we want to hear back that you’re doing it.’ Some of these things are pretty major.”, According to the documents, the Site C project assurance board has an “oversight function to help ensure that the project is completed on time and on budget, and that risks are appropriately identified, managed and reported on an ongoing basis.”, Swain said the assurance board, despite its moniker, is not an oversight board. government until now and key information is still being withheld. Ralston announced in July that the government has appointed Peter Milburn. troubling questions about who in government knew about the project’s climbing costs and deepening geotechnical woes, when they knew it and why the information was not made public. energy consultant and the author of a pro-Site C report for B.C. Every single one of you who reads and shares our articles is a crucial part of building a new model for Canadian journalism that puts people before profit. Swain said the safety review should follow investigations by independent geotechnical engineering experts. The site where the dam is being built contains, “bedding planes” between layers of sedimentary shale that have poor shear strength, meaning they could suddenly shift under modest amounts of force. “By turning it 90 degrees, they thought they would avoid the problem. An “intelligence memo” from the C.D. Following an appeal to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner after BC Hydro missed a legal deadline for responding, we received 2,247 pages of documents almost seven months after filing the request. Dam has been affected by possible COVID-19 delays. In 2017 and 2018, more than 10,000 earthquakes occurred in the wider area, including one that shook the Site C dam construction site in November 2018, forcing workers to evacuate. The severity and probability of those costs were redacted from the documents, along with contingency cost pressure items. Dam spillway costs would increase materially due to design changes and reservoir clearing costs would be higher than allocated for in the budget, the assurance board also learned. “It strikes me as highly unlikely that the most senior officials in those departments and the ministers would be unaware of the developing difficulties,” Swain said. Harry Swain chaired the panel that reviewed the Site C dam on behalf of the provincial and federal governments. Our top priority is the health and safety of our employees, contractors and members of the public. The other representative is Wanamaker, who in 2017. challenged the commission’s final findings about the Site C project in a six-page letter to the commission that seemed to suggest the new NDP government was searching for a rationale to continue the project. MacLaren, the long-time assistant deputy energy minister who prepares Site C documents for cabinet and reviews BC Hydro’s quarterly Site C progress reports to the B.C. “In this case it would be the premier at the top, then the chairman of the board of BC Hydro and then the engineers at the bottom.”, But in the case of the Site C dam, McCullough said there’s “a cloud of committees and cross-committees watching each other.”, McCullough said the Site C dam’s geotechnical challenges call for “the simplest and most direct and most hands-on management, and what we have is a committee of committees.”. by both SNC Lavalin and Klohn Crippen as a potential project risk. Howe Institute, addressed to B.C.’s upcoming new government, says the case for the Site C dam is “getting weaker” and any meaningful cost increase makes cancellation the best choice. “They’ve gotten pretty het up over this,” McCullough said. Nunn worked for the Vancouver-based engineering and consulting firm Klohn Crippen Berger, a major donor to the BC Liberal Party. Site C dam construction on the Peace River. He says it’s “highly unlikely” that government the ministers would have been unaware of the escalating construction difficulties at the Site C dam. Utilities Commission. On July 31, well over a year after the assurance board approved additional funds for SNC Lavalin and Klohn Crippen, BC Hydro reported to the B.C. construction trade unions that was used to discredit the utility commission’s findings. Swain said he was puzzled by BC Hydro’s re-design of the dam to an L-shape after the joint review panel assessed the project. Photo: Jayce Hawkins, For the grout, “options for responses to approaching risks are more limited,” the board noted. On December 11, 2017, the BC government committed to completing construction of the Site C hydroelectric dam. anomalous” that project assurance board reports have been kept secret by the B.C. BC Hydro has also not answered the commission’s detailed questions about the project, which include querries about geotechnical issues and no-bid contracts. It also found that BC Hydro had a historical pattern of, For David Vardy, the retired chair of Newfoundland’s public utilities board, the Site C project’s lack of transparency and escalating costs create a sense of. They’re really independent in that sense.”. “It looks like we’re going to lose $10.7 billion on this project. Cracks in the roller compacted concrete have “been recognized and studies are underway to evaluate their extent and significance,” the board noted. Board members include three other BC Hydro directors, Concert Properties CEO David Podmore and Lorne Sivertson, an energy consultant and the author of a pro-Site C report for B.C. Those signing the letter urge Premier John Horgan to appoint an independent panel to assess For David Vardy, the retired chair of Newfoundland’s public utilities board, the Site C project’s lack of transparency and escalating costs create a sense of déjà-vu. In late January, The Narwhal submitted a freedom of information request to BC Hydro, asking for all Site C project assurance board agendas, minutes, reports and recommendations. government are responding to media questions during the provincial election campaign, unless inquiries pertain to health and safety or statutory requirements. 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