IMPACTS AND RISKS TO AND FISH HABITATS OF PROPOSED NEXT GENERATION HYDRO DAMS IN YUKON

Presentation to the Workshop: Hydro Alternatives for the Yukon September 30, 2015

AL von FINSTER Independent Consultant

DON REID Wildlife Conservation Society Canada What is this presentation ?

• It covers the following issues: Ø Impacts of hydro dams and reservoirs on fish Ø Reservoir production of mercury and greenhouse gases Ø The timing of environmental assessment in a mega-project

• It is a summary of knowledge from published studies and reports, coupled with experience and insights of a Yukon fish habitat specialist….Al von Finster NEXT GENERATION HYDRO PROJECT HAS SELECTED TEN POTENTIAL SITES

Map compiled by WCS Canada ( Lila Tauzer ) and derived from Midgard Consultants Inc. 2015 report for Next Generaon Hydro The Next Generaon Hydro Project is a major environmental concern

Hydroelectric Dams & Reservoirs built across major rivers have bad history of heavy environmental impacts many of which cannot be migated

Why repeat bad history ? What are the likely impacts and risks to fish and fish habitat ?

Impacts and risks of • Dam • New reservoir upstream • New river downstream Preliminary list of fish species in upper Yukon and Liard drainages

Upper Yukon Upper Liard Common Name Latin Name River River Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytcha Y N Chum Salmon Oncorhynchus keta Y N Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush Y Y Northern Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma malma ? ? Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus ? Y Arctic Grayling Thymallus arcticus Y Y Lake Whitefish clupeaformis Y Y Broad Whitefish Coregonus nasus Y N Round Whitefish cylindraceum Y Y Mountain Whitefish Prosopium williamsoni N Y Pygmy Whitefish Prosopium coulteri Y ? Least Cisco Coregonus sardinella Y N Inconnu leucichthys Y N Northern Pike Esox lucius Y Y Burbot Lota lota Y Y Longnose Sucker Catostomus catostomus Y Y White Sucker Catostomus commersoni N ? Slimy Sculpin Cottus cognatus Y Y Lake Chub Couesius plumbeus Y Y Arctic Lamprey Lampetra japonica Y N Dams block migraons Block upstream migraons • Populaon lost Ø Anadromous species (Chinook) – High Risk Ø Freshwater species - High Risk but unquanfied Ø Species at risk - ? Risk

Increase mortality in downstream migraon Whitehorse Rapids Dam • Populaon depleted Photo: Don Reid Ø Anadromous species (Chinook) – High Risk Ø Freshwater spp. - High Risk but unquanfied Ø Species at risk - ? Risk Dams block migraons Migaon ? Assist upstream migraon (fishway, fish ladder, fish li, arficial propagaon) • Success ? Ø Chinook Salmon – moderate Ø Other anadromous – low Ø Freshwater – low to poor

Assist downstream migraon (bypass channels; collect and transport) Whitehorse Dam fishway • Success ? Photo: Don Reid Ø All species - moderate Reservoirs destroy river habitats

Habitats lost Ø Chinook Salmon Ø Chum Salmon Ø River freshwater species (Arcc Grayling, Longnose Sucker, Dolly Varden )

River-resident species

decline / lost Big Salmon River Photo: Al von Finster Chinook Spawning Redds Reservoirs destroy lake habitats

Why? - Fluctuang water levels & sediment deposion

Lose lake shallow-water habitats Ø Young of numerous species

Lose lake spawning habitats Ø Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish

Lose lake winter habitats

Ø Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Lake Abraham, North Burbot Saskatchewan River Photo: Al von Finster Reservoirs destroy habitats Migaon ?

No efficient and cost- effecve measures to migate these impacts

High cost and / or relavely ineffecve measures: • Arficial propagaon • Ferlizaon • Dredging

Photos: Don Reid Dams change rivers downstream

Paern of flow changed Ø Reducon in spring flood

BASE LOAD vs PEAK LOAD

Nisutlin River valley – Sediment load reduced Photo: Don Reid

Ø Reduced nutrients Aishihik River Photo: Al von Finster

Temperature changed Ø Too warm / too cold in summer Dams change rivers downstream Migaon ?

Paerns of flow JULY Ø No means of avoiding changes, including during base load Ø AVOID PEAK LOADING !! Sediment load Ø Reservoir flushing Ø Side effects bad SEPTEMBER Temperature Ø Release water from different depths

Photos: Don Reid Reservoirs create mercury and greenhouse gas polluon

Mercury accumulates up food web from flooded soils and vegetaon – toxic levels for humans

Greenhouse gases released from decomposion of flooded vegetaon

Migaon ? Ø Reduce area of flooded vegetaon & wetlands Macmillan River just upstream of Pelly R. – area to be flooded Ø Remove trees Photo: Jamie Kenyon Ø Only partly successful

WITH A LARGE IN-RIVER DAM WE WOULD FACE : Ø NUMEROUS DEFINITE NEGATIVE IMPACTS Ø NUMEROUS RISKS OF IMPACTS AS YET UNCERTAIN IN STRENGTH Ø INABILITY TO MITIGATE MANY IMPACTS

LARGE HYDRO MAY BE RENEWABLE ENERGY, BUT IT IS NOT GREEN ENERGY Environmental Assessment should be part of decisions about energy opons, not an aer-thought. Beer Approach: Current Next Generaon Inter-governmental & mul-sector Hydro process: evaluaon of alternave energy YTG decides to look for a supplies: • dam site ( > 10 MW ) aboriginal treaty rights & tle • geophysical / hydrological • socio-economic Consultants evaluate sites: • environmental • geophysical • hydrological Choose a porolio of energy • socio-economic sources that have social licence, • environmental are low carbon footprint, have low environmental impact, and are renewable Parcular site chosen

Priorize set of opons Environmental Impact Assessment (YESAB) done Environmental Impact Assessment (YESAB) done THANKS and NOTES

Thanks to YCS for opportunity to participate

Funding from “The W. Garfield Weston Foundation”

WCS Canada will publish and circulate a REPORT on this topic in late October • Fill in sheet to receive a copy