Letter to the Editor
Editor,
I would like to thank Mark Bergen for his thoughtful comments, published Friday, Sept 18. Mark makes several comments that I would like to respond to and hopefully address some of his concerns.
Water turbidity and temperature:
The project team recently shared updated design changes. With one of these changes, the water inlet/outlet is now placed offshore in deeper water, avoiding impacts to the shoreline and near-shore fish habitat. The design also reduces the speed of water withdrawn and released, avoiding impacts to fish and reducing the potential to create turbidity – the churning of the lake-bed causing a decrease in water clarity. Tunnels installed beneath the lake-bed will access deep water and the inlet/outlet structures will be raised off the lake-bed to avoid the potential to affect water clarity. Fixed screens will be used on the structures to further protect fish. The results: no shoreline or nearshore structures, no structures visible in the water, protection of fish and fish habitat, as well as maintenance of water clarity.
The volume of water flows is extremely small relative to the size of Georgian Bay and the combined waterbodies of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, which are hydrologically connected. The volume of the water being moved is expected to be unnoticeable, with no anticipated temperature change. This will be confirmed through studies to support the environmental impact process.
Land Use:
This project is anticipated to use just 3 per cent of the Base’s tank range; it would co-exist with active operations. With the design changes, the majority of the facility will be underground, with the exception of the upper reservoir. Relocation underground, paired with the use of mining and tunneling methods for installation, will reduce ground disturbance and will limit it to key locations above and below the escarpment. The new design will protect the escarpment and preserve the natural viewshed of the area.
Ecosystem Disruption: (noise and light pollution)
TC Energy would build and operate the facility in compliance with Ontario’s Environmental Noise Guideline and in consideration of Health Canada Guidance for Evaluating Human Health Impacts in Environmental Assessment: Noise. And, we will ensure that lighting is used only where required for workplace safety.
Further, as a result of the community feedback, TC Energy is proposing to advance a transmission route underwater from the project site to a location near Wasaga Beach, and underground from there to the Stayner Transformer Station.
Risk: (dam safety)
We recognize that this is an important topic to the citizens of Meaford. We accept our responsibility to make sure that we can demonstrate that if we build the Pumped Storage Project, it will be designed to keep residents safe and subsequently built, maintained and operated safely for as long as it remains in service.
What we are proposing is not without precedent. There are over 15,000 dams in Canada and 121 large dams in Ontario. The Sir Adam Beck Pump Generating Station is an example of a pumped storage project where the reservoir sits 50 meters from the nearest residential home and the community of Queenston, Ontario, lies directly below the reservoir. The Sir Adam Beck reservoir is 750 acres (twice the area of what we are proposing at Meaford) and has been operating safely since 1957.
In developing the pumped storage project, we will engage qualified and experienced engineers to design the facility and we will construct the facility with contractors who have experience building hydro facilities.
Economic impact:
An economic study conducted for this project estimates there will be 20 full-time positions created on-site and it is reasonable to think that these workers would reside in the Municipality of Meaford. There would also be 52 indirect and induced jobs, essentially those employed supporting the operation of the facility and the personnel employed directly during operation. The report estimates $19 million per year in direct spending on labour, maintenance and materials. TC Energy supports communities in which it operates and recognizes that the development of this project will have an impact on the Municipality of Meaford. Over the coming months, we will be working with the Municipality to understand their interests and learn how we can ensure the project has a positive economic impact.
Green claims:
The proposed project will not create emissions during operation and is expecting to use excess electricity which, in Ontario, is generated through hydroelectric, nuclear and renewable energy sources. Ontario’s natural gas generation is used in periods of high demand, not excess scenarios, so the proposed project is intended to reduce the need for fossil fueled generation.
TC Energy commissioned an independent econoRemic analysis of the potential impact of the proposed project, with regard to CO2 emission reductions, a reduction of 490,000 tonnes per year was estimated.
We are aware that the construction of the facility will result in the generation of emissions and those emissions must be quantified and assessed as part of the environmental assessment.
Trust:
TC Energy has continued to advance the development of the proposed Pumped Storage Project by incorporating input from community engagement and findings from early stage engineering and environmental studies. As a result, the design of the project has evolved considerably, and we believe the current proposed design addresses many of the concerns raised about the project.
TC Energy is committed to working collaboratively with all interested parties to ensure meaningful engagement. We understand that trust is built over time.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.
John Mikkelsen, P.Eng., M.A.Sc.
Director, Power Business Development
TC Energy
