Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Ftaya, A. 2015. Run-of-river hydroelectricity and cumulative effects in British Columbia: A case study of the Clowhom Watershed. MLWS Thesis, UBC. |
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| Organization | UBC |
| URL | http://lfs-mlws.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2015/10/Clowhom_Watershed_ROR_Report.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | The expansion of run-of-river (ROR) hydroelectric operations in British Columbia has raised concerns over the potential cumulative effects arising from multiple ROR sites and additional land-uses within a watershed. While this concern has been expressed by a multitude of interest groups, cumulative effects assessments (CEAs) are still a developing concept, and ROR-centric CEAs are often hard to find or lacking in detail. A central issue is the lack of research regarding the environmental impacts of ROR operations and their associated infrastructure. To address these challenges, this study focuses on identifying the key land-use and aquatic changes that have occurred in the Clowhom River Watershed, an area that has been recently subjected to ROR development. Existing literature is first used to identify the potential impacts of each ROR project component; these impacts are then examined in a cumulative manner along with the potential impacts from additional watershed activities and climate change. Results suggest that the cumulative effect of ROR developments will be largely determined by the pre-ROR state of watershed development and infrastructure. These findings may help to identify the most suitable locations to develop ROR operations, while trying to mitigate environmental impacts. |
| Information Type | thesis |
| Regional Watershed | Howe Sound & Sunshine Coast |
| Sub-watershed if known | Clowhom River |
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| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
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