Summary
The proponent continues to refuse to show how, or if, they could safely operate their proposed hydro-electric generating station at the Bala falls, as they won’t answer the concerns in our letter. And Township of Muskoka Lakes Mayor Don Furniss defends the proponent, even though the proposed project would endanger people using both of the adjacent Township’s municipal docks.
Detail
As shown in the composite figure below (click on it for a larger view), the proposed hydro-electric generating station at the Bala falls would make the water dangerous for users of the municipal docks both upstream and downstream of the proposed project.
As such public safety concerns should be of concern to the municipality, I contacted the Mayor of the Township of Muskoka Lakes, Don Furniss, asking if he believed the proponent’s safety plan should be disclosed to the public now, so that those that understand the area can provide comment as this could impact design requirements. The Mayor’s reply e-mails stated he was satisfied that the proponent would need to have operating procedures in place before commercial production of power is permitted, and that he was satisfied with that. I stated the concern is whether the public would be adequately warned and informed of the extreme dangers the proposed project would create. The Mayor then offered to arrange that we all meet with the proponent, and this meeting was on June 26, 2018 in the Mayor’s office. Frank Belerique represented the proponent, and by speakerphone was Stefan Kohnen of KGS Group, representing the proponent’s construction manager.
At the meeting we noted that:
- It would be unprecedented to build a hydro-electric generating station in the middle of a popular in-water recreational area, and as close to public and private docks. In response and as justification, the proponent cited other generating stations such as at Bracebridge Falls and the London Street generating station in Peterborough.
- The Bracebridge Falls generating station has a 110′-long concrete breakwater directing the dangerous water away from the municipal docks, and the public beach is 1,000′ downstream.
- In Peterborough, there is no in-water recreation far upstream or downstream.
- We were therefore quite alarmed that the proponent does not understand these crucial differences. Or perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, as the proponent has no public safety expertise nor have they sought this.
- The calculation used by both Transport Canada and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for the minimum distance upstream of a hazard that a safety boom is to be located shows that the operation of the proposed project requires the current upstream safety boom to be located farther upstream.
- We were very surprised that the Mayor defended the proponent’s claim that there was no need for this.
- We were very surprised that the Mayor defended the proponent’s claim that there was no need for this.
- The proposed project would create dangerously fast and turbulent water outside of the proponent’s proposed downstream safety boom (as shown in the above composite graphic).
- In response the proponent offered to review the information used to create the above composite graphic, and respond within two weeks.
As follow-up to the meeting, we sent the proponent this letter, which gives several examples that the proponent does not understand and appreciate that due to the approvals currently in place it would not be possible to safely operate their proposed project.
Instead of any answers to these and other questions detailed in our letter, the proponent replied that they will finalize and release their safety plan “after substantial completion of the power plant”. And the proponent reneged on their commitment to respond to our concerns that the treacherously-turbulent water created by their proposed generating station would extend outside of their proposed downstream safety boom. Why does the proponent refuse to show they could operate their proposed project safely.
So nobody knows if it would be possible to safely operate this industrial facility in the middle of a popular in-water recreational area, yet rather than showing any caution on behalf of the Township of Muskoka Lakes, the Mayor blindly defended this private developer who has demonstrated they do not understand the unique and extreme dangers the proposed project would create.