New erosion gully appears on problematic North slope of Site C, near diversion tunnels

42 thoughts on “New erosion gully appears on problematic North slope of Site C, near diversion tunnels”

1. Does that look like pools of water near the bottom of the erosion directly above the in progress diversion tunnels? Following along with the Muskrat falls inquiry where the price doubled much the same as here at site c, and I don’t think that Nalcor had nearly as much trouble with the geology as Hydro is having, and Hydro has a lot more work to do than they do in Labrador.

   I don’t think this one will get built, there are too many things that are going to continue to go wrong. And there is too much value to the future above the site. Too much time between now and any kind of completion for this to soak in, like that water.

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   1. Yes, in the 4th photo there are two pools, one midslope and one along the road that look bermed up and water can be seen in several areas reflecting. That is a great aerial shot showing the entire area and how close the camp is on the edge of that slope. There used to be a road along the front of that camp and a bit of a barrier edge which I cant see in this one.

      Muskrat did have geotech issues as well, equally challenging for different reasons.

      This tells me this slope will still require more excavation to flatten the slope and prevent this kind of runoff. And as I have written many times, every time they flatten the slope further, the design of the dam itself and how it attaches to this slope changes in scope to account for the low angle. Which has already occurred and been reported in prior quarterly reports

      Speaking of those reports, the report from End of March to June is late. Cant wait to see it

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   2. Good Lord! They’re going to be over budget ($10 Billion+) before they even start on the damn dam! Still ‘on budget, on time’, BC Hydro?

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2. Articles about solar and wind energy innovations in Alberta highlighted above underscore a consistent theme.

   Despite a growing number of countries who’ve opted for renewable energy, somehow Canada’s politicians and media forget that a wider view of such stories might be appreciated by readers – and by extension – encourage politicians to change course now that we’re in a politically-acknowledged Climate Crisis…

   You write…

   “Even as recently as May, media here in BC was pushing the line that LNG from BC was a huge boon, supplying China with infinite power ! Infinite! (insert eyeroll because already 57% of China’s needs are met domestically, with reserves yet to be tapped)”

   Bad news folks, the prospects for cheap future household energy use in BC and vast profits from exports of gas and LNG appear now to be far worse than formerly advertized.

   Who knew that energy prices could be manipulated on demand resulting in zero public benefit?

   Says who? Says this..

   https://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/natural-gas-producers-demand-government-action-in-open-letter-to-kenney-1.23887934

   “CALGARY — The CEOs of nine Alberta natural gas producers have released an open letter to Premier Jason Kenney asking him to show “bold leadership” in supporting a plan to restrict production to boost low gas prices.”

   “The letter warns the province faces a high likelihood of corporate failures, job losses and falling investment levels if the situation is allowed to continue.”

   “It is imperative that the government of Alberta intercedes as the viability of the Alberta natural gas sector is in jeopardy,” the letter sent late Tuesday reads.”

   “On our current trajectory, the consequences will be dire for the many Albertans that rely upon the natural gas sector directly and indirectly to support their communities.”

   “The CEOs say their gas price problems have developed over many years, but point specifically to what they call failed federal regulation of TC Energy Corp.’s Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. gas pipeline system in Western Canada.”

   “The letter proposes a solution in which gas producers commit to manage their production on a voluntary basis when needed to balance supply with system capacity, adding the scheme would result in no net loss to provincial royalty revenues and would allow companies to honour existing sales commitments.”

   Wasn’t there a time in Canada when market supply-manipulation and price fixing was opposed by all free market governments?

   And if Alberta’s energy suppliers already are so destitute that they must cut supplies to remain solvent what does it say about the stability of BC’s domestic gas market prices and its exported LNG prospects to foreign markets? Markets already glutted by the same oversupply.

   Many of those my age still remember one now infamous promise about Nuclear Energy.

   “It will be so cheap we won’t know what to charge!”

   Then after energy competitors were bankrupted, market control consolidated, and without so much as a by-your-leave, the cheap energy argument suddenly became… “inoperative”.

   But Site C, with all its downsides, is still presented as a can’t possibly lose solution?

   Please advise…

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   1. Excellent article and thanks for bringing it here.

      I’m still seeing ndp boosters making a concentrated effort to shut down discussion about site c and LNG by blaming Clark, as if both decisions were hers ( they weren’t) and that Horgan was railroaded into both ( he wasn’t)

      I see there is another effort to get Kitimat LNG electrified, despite Trudeau having already gifted them 220 million for efficient gas turbines. I suspect this new effort has been prompted by Mungalls bureaucrats and hydro to create a market solely for Site C…which we, the people, will be paying for via our ever increasing hydro bills.

      Articles like yours will also become increasingly important to share as those efforts to shut down opposition to site c and LNG discussion increase.

      It’s so disappointing to see those who fought both these projects hard under Clark, now stay silent when it puts Horgan under examination. The BC Libs are so far upstream on corruption in this province they wont get re-elected anytime soon. Accepting crap policy from Horgan on these two issues is a compromise I’m not willing to make. This matters

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      1. Who knows who will become the next Government. Too early to tell I think. It’s the wild west here.. Anything can happen. Who knows maybe it’ll be the Green Party’s turn. Something seems clear to me right now though, is the NDP may die a political suicide by a thousand self inflicted cuts. They’ve always reminded me of they’re being good at that. I wished it weren’t so but I can’t help seeing that side of them. Maybe i’m seeing it wrong, because of my political cynicism.

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         1. The priority for most people is getting to work on time, having a doctor, putting a roof over their heads, and ensuring their kids have a decent education.. They’ll continue to vote NDP.

            As to the B.C. Lieberals not being re elected, they’ll change the party name, find another leader and continue to provide the services they always have for the 1%ers and China. Doesn’t any one remember how the Socreds morphed into the B.C. Lieberals?????

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         2. I wish I were as confident as you but the NDP wasnt able to win an election here for 16 years, and even with all the scandals and corruption they are only in power because of the Greens.

            Vast areas of BC will still vote against their own best interests and vote Liberal. Geesh the Liberal mlas whining about the very real forestry crisis are the same ones that were in power and said nothing as their own party mismanaged forestry across BC.

            The reason why the money laundering inquiry is timed the way it is, is for maximum damage to the Liberals before the next election. And even then I question whether they can win a majority because of their failures on the environmental files, of which they have continued the Liberal policy on most.

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      2. I just listened to Michelle Mungal ‘s speech to the paddle for the peace folks and her lies about being with those people and speaking against Site C getting John Horgan on board ewhen in opposition. My god these kind of lying hypocrite politicians take the cake. Politicians like her are the worst kind. No courage too stand on her own and stick with principal. God that kind makes me sick.

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3. I think continuing Site C was all politics and feeding special interests. LNG too. Looks like a rocky marriage is really happening between Site C and LNG. Christy Clark must be fuming over the loss of her thunder. Horgan has the torch now and it looks like the flame is still out. There’s no future viability for the two that I see which makes sense. The only viable future interest I conclude from all of this waste, destuction, recklessness and negligence is to keep some kind of voter foundation which would come from the unions and other interests involved in building the projects. Payback and returning favours is at play. Completely. It’s sick what politicians do for their own survival. Or possible survival. Looking at the situation in realistic and objective terms only, Horgan knows his party was only given the governance of BC by the Lieutenant General and a few seats from Weavers people. And it’s still close with the Liberals. Something the NDP and Horgan loose sleep over. It’s not a rosy picture even given some of the good the NDP has done to be fair because i think there will be to many screw ups that will wash over any good. Or, Death by a thousand cuts.

   I think all of the extra studies and BCUC involvement was all calculated intentional waste. It was all stalling until Horgan got his cards in order. But there not in order. Going ahead with the dam project right after the election would not have looked good, when so many, and i think a majority were against it. But what the hell, the public and rate payers interests are secondary or last place to special interests and trying to work the best numbers and combinations as possible for the next election. And the hypocrisy was astounding especially when we seen Horgan in opposition and Minister Mungal stab the people of the Peace in the back and not having any guts what so ever to continue to stand against the dam and stick with her own guns, she sold them out to be a cowardly team player for her party and her hypocrite team leader. Oh well. same kinds of politicians that was in before. I’m afraid that the BC Liberals are going to come on and pound the shit out of Horgan and his people by divide and conquer strategy. They are not stupid devils. Unfortunately. I wish it won’t be so but i think there’s to many stupid decisions will bring them down. Maybe the money laundering inquiry may help them but i’m having my doubts. Cynicism is my enemy. But what else is expected given the state of politics and the damage to the state of the nation and BC because of so many lousy politicians.

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   1. Let me remind everyone of what Stan Marshall said about Muskrat Falls once. https://www.google.ca/amp/s/lailayuile.com/2016/06/24/shocking-admission-from-nalcor-energy-ceo-serves-as-chilling-warning-to-bc-government-that-exempted-site-c-project-from-independent-review-of-bcuc/amp/

      ”

      Marshall called the project a “boondoggle” and said it never should have been sanctioned. But he added it’s too late to turn back. Marshall said he did not have an exact cost estimate for stopping the project, but insisted it was not feasible to cancel all the contracts.

      Nalcor expects the cost to consumers will be 21 cents a kilowatt/hour in 2021, which could be the highest rate in Canada. But Marshall pledged he would do everything he can in the next four years to mitigate that impact.”

      That was in 2016 and Dwight Ball the Premier blamed it all on the prior government…but continued to build it.

      Just like Horgan did a year later…:

      From CBC: https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4443238

      ”

      Although Horgan said Site C “is not the project we would have favoured or would have started, it must be completed,” citing the effect on energy prices if the project was cancelled.”

      Well isn’t that special?

      Incidentally, this is Premier Dwight Ball now, and he can no longer blame his decision to continue on the former premier who started Muskrat, because the people aren’t buying it.

      https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-premier-dwight-ball-defends-decision-to-carry-on-with-muskrat-falls/

      Newfoundland and Labrador’s Premier says the joy of his 2015 election victory was short-lived as he began to realize the dire financial situation brought on by the Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject’s runaway costs.

      Liberal Premier Dwight Ball took the stand Thursday at the public inquiry into cost and schedule overruns that have plagued the controversial dam on Labrador’s lower Churchill River.

      The 824-megawatt dam has essentially doubled in costs to more than $12.7-billion since it was sanctioned by a former Progressive Conservative government in 2012.

      Mr. Ball, who called the inquiry under intense public pressure, has called Muskrat Falls “the greatest fiscal mistake in Newfoundland and Labrador’s history.”

      Although the project is nearly complete, the looming threat of skyrocketing electricity rates to pay for cost overruns has become a pressing issue for Mr. Ball’s government.

      Mr. Ball said Muskrat Falls should never have been sanctioned, but defended his 2016 decision to carry on despite its ballooning costs, saying abandoning the project would still have been very costly and would not have solved the problems already in motion.

      “It might seem that, yeah, given the politics in all of this, it would have been easy to walk away, but really when you came down to the analysis … this decision to continue on really wasn’t a difficult one,” Mr. Ball said Thursday.

      “The fact is now, you have this project and you have to deal with it.”

      Hmm. Gosh he sounds like Horgan!! Is there a training manual for premiers on this being passed back and forth?

      I suspect BC will too see the day when Horgan and every caucus member who knew this was wrong will have to face the music for choosing to continue Site C. It was a fiscally and socially irresponsible decision that will come back to haunt them.

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      1. You bet.

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4. It is disappointing to ponder a future where people conclude that their elected representatives have grossly mismanaged the Public Interest. A perception that elected politicians are as timid as turtles and despite this deficit are running the show.

   Picture it: Inept bureaucrats, operating in a protective vacuum of their own making. People with a selective aversion to applying anything too scientific to any crisis. Why persist in being so backward? Political Wisdom. Because those in authority soon are convinced that it is never prudent to act in ways that might generate blowback or agitate backers. Just claim that whatever goes wrong is still “Moving Forward.”

   If true, we’d best forget redirecting the focus of human intelligence to help avoid human extinction. No way. Too radical. Let’s go quietly.

   Models which question inaction? Well,,, Landing humans on the moon. Helping to save Europe via Bletchley Park. The Manhattan Project. All impossible. All too expensive. Too risky.

   To even imagine taking advantage of Genius by amortizing associated risk… not on our watch..

   Here’s one possible example of leadership never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity. .

   https://questioningthedata.wordpress.com/2015/08/22/canadas-only-true-desert/

   “The media, governments, and tourism marketers have long been promoting the South Okanagan region around Osoyoos, BC, as Canada’s only true desert — even though Osoyoos is only semi-arid (or semi-desert if you prefer). As we shall see below, it is not a “true desert” by any known scientific definition.”

   “The driest place of all is Ashcroft, which averages just over 200 mm (8″) per year. By comparison, Osoyoos averages 323 mm (12.7″) per year. This is a substantial inequality that the marginal temperature difference cannot overcome.”

   “Using either of the methods above places Ashcroft in the arid category. The graph below shows the aridity of various places in Canada using the Penman-Monteith method.”

   OK. In Ashcroft, more sunshine, less rainfall than anywhere else in BC. So? How could that possibly represent an advantage to anyone? Anyone with the exception of Summerside, PEI. Raymond, Alberta, Airdrie Alberta. And so on.

   Would Ashcroft make a nice spot for a solar farm, like Airdrie?

   https://www.airdrie.ca/index.cfm?serviceID=1538

   “The solar system at Genesis Place will provide a source of renewable energy, while reducing overall electricity costs of Genesis Place by up to $80,000 annually. Once complete, the modules will power the facility’s scoreboard, heat the pool for swim meets and keep the lights on for art classes – all while reducing emissions by over 1,000 tonnes in the first year. “

   Anyone doing anything similar? From the India Times

   “Electric vehicles are on a roll, literally, if you have a look at their global sales. The emission free mode of transport gained a lot of interest in the last few years and now are the primary focus of many of the automobile giants. With their increased use, one pertinent question is being raised. What happens to their lithium-ion batteries once they are old?”

   “We had covered the various possible uses for old lithium-ion batteries in an article earlier. One such use mentioned an American company Eaton, working with Nissan, BAM and The Mobility House powering Johan Cruijff ArenA, a huge stadium in Netherlands which serves as the home to the renowned football club Ajax. Interestingly, the company uses old Nissan Leaf batteries for the purpose.”

   “The setup claims enough power to back up 7000 Amsterdam houses for one hour, or charge 5,00,000 iPhones. Its “green” impact can be measured from the fact that it claims to save 116,683 tons of CO2. “

   https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/nissan-leaf-ev-batteries-to-power-amsterdam-stadium/

   “Nissan announced last week that it had finished installing a Leaf-battery-based energy storage system at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruijff ArenA (yes, that’s how they capitalize it). Capable of storing 3 megawatts of power, the equivalent of 148 new and used Leaf batteries will work with Eaton power converters to provide a more sustainable method of powering the arena.”

   “The ArenA is assured of a considerable amount of power, even during an outage,” said Henk van Raan, the arena’s director of innovation, in a statement. “As a result, the stadium will contribute to a stable Dutch energy grid. The Johan Cruijff ArenA is one of the most sustainable stadiums in the world and leads the way in introducing smart innovations like this unique energy storage system.”

   “It’s not just pulling power from the grid for later use, either. The arena has 4,200 solar panels on its roof, which can generate power for later use, as well. It won’t be used for primary power, but rather as a backup in case of outages and as a supplement during periods of heavy use. This will greatly reduce the arena’s reliance on pollution-happy diesel generators and reduce strain on the grid during concerts and other power-hungry events.”

   “Reusing old EV batteries in this way isn’t necessarily a new idea. Last December, Roadshow looked at the growing trend of reusing EV batteries for other purposes. Nissan has an entire subsidiary dedicated to finding ways to reuse these batteries. Chevrolet has used old Volt batteries to supply backup power to one of its data centers. Other automakers, like Fiat, have teamed up with firms dedicated to keeping salvageable batteries in use, too.”

   What is it that’s keeping BC locked into the-horse-and-buggy-is good-enough mentality?

   http://www.openculture.com/2014/12/john-cleese-on-stupidity-and-a-cornell-study.html

   “In order to know how good you are at something requires exactly the same skills as it does to be good at that thing in the first place,” Cleese elaborates, “which means — and this is terribly funny — that if you are absolutely no good at something at all, then you lack exactly the skills you need to know that you are absolutely no good at it.” With that, he gives us an extremely brief introduction to the Dunning–Kruger effect, “a cognitive bias wherein unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate” owing to “a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude” (and, by the same token, of “highly skilled individuals to underestimate their relative competence, erroneously assuming that tasks which are easy for them are also easy for others”).

   Ruled by Turtles, you think?

   Please advise…

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5. Erosion and real or potential slides do seem an appropriate metaphor for this time in political history.

   Do we need a back up plan for the LNG dream? It sounds like we do from this announcement of “a techno-economic feasibility study” for a new class of energy infrastructure export projects. Will this be “clean’? It if uses fracked natural gas as the feedstock for the hydrogen, no. It sounds like the study will be electrolysis so it might be.

   In the meantime BCUC is considering a BC Hydro application for new limits and more red tape for home owners and small businesses; one that punts community interests to some unspecified future date.

   https://www.itm-power.com/news-item/itm-power-mitsui-chiyoda-and-bc-hydro-in-300mw-power-to-gas-study

   ITM Power, Mitsui, Chiyoda and BC Hydro in 300MW Power-to-Gas study
   2nd July 2019
   ITM Power Electrolyser
   Completion of the British Columbia Renewable Hydrogen Feasibility Study:
   ITM Power, Mitsui, Chiyoda and BC Hydro in 300MW Power-to-Gas study

   ITM Power (AIM: ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce the completion of a techno-economic feasibility study for the large-scale centralised production of renewable hydrogen in the Province of British Columbia (“BC”). The project, “Feasibility Study and Assessment of Centralized Renewable Hydrogen Production in BC followed by a Pilot Plant Development”, was led by ITM Power with support from G&S Budd Consulting Ltd. and partners Mitsui & Co., Chiyoda Corporation and BC Hydro. It was funded by the BC Government.

   The study commenced in April 2018 with the aim of examining the potential for large-scale production of renewable hydrogen in BC, which could be used domestically and for export to California and Japan. BC brings a number of competitive advantages to the establishment of a first-of-its-kind large renewable hydrogen industry including the availability of renewable electricity, the abundance of freshwater and the proximity of numerous production sites to deep water harbours for the export of hydrogen to markets in the United States and Asia. The study was based on using ITM Power’s state of the art PEM electrolyser technology and Chiyoda Corporation’s newly developed liquid organic hydrogen carrier, SPERA Hydrogen.

   The study analysed over 10 potential BC Hydro grid and private wire connected locations for the practical installation and operational business cases for up to 300MW of electrolysis paired with the liquid organic hydrogen carrier technology. Demand for hydrogen was analysed for the domestic market, to help BC meet the goals of a new zero emission vehicle policy, and international markets including large scale export to California and Japan.

   The study highlighted a number of attractive opportunities which provide the basis for BC to leverage its vast renewable electricity generation capacity to become a world leader in the production and export of renewable electrolytic hydrogen whilst providing socio-economic benefits including business development and job growth for local communities including the First Nations people.

   The results of the study will be used by ITM Power, Mitsui & Co. and Chiyoda Corporation to consider the installation of a facility in BC which has the potential to be the world’s largest hydrogen production facility.

   Steve Jones, MD of ITM Power Inc. commented: “ITM Power is pleased with the results of this feasibility study which highlights the BC region as one of the world’s best locations for the generation and export of large-scale renewable hydrogen. The demand for renewable hydrogen is growing around the world and we look forward to continuing discussions on real world deployments.”

   Hon. Michelle Mungall, British Columbia Minister for Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, added: “Government is taking bold action to meet the climate targets set out in our world-leading CleanBC plan. Producing and exporting made-in-BC hydrogen power is an exciting opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost our economy and create good clean energy jobs.”

   Hon. Bruce Ralston, British Columbia Minister for Jobs, Trade and Technology, added: “Clean energy solutions like the possibility of BC generated hydrogen, will help protect the global environment while advancing our clean export priorities, which are crucial to driving strong economic activity.”

   Mitsui & Co. commented: “Mitsui is increasingly interested in the hydrogen industry particularly the opportunity to use hydrogen as an alternative fuel suitable for export and import”

   Chiyoda Corporation commented: “Transporting hydrogen using our SPERA technology is simple and has the potential to scale to the enormous volumes required for the global energy transition.”

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   1. Good grief!!

      Let me wrap my head around this….

      We have had to import more electricity than normal over the winter, spring and possibly now as well, due to the drought conditions that prevailed for the last 10 months or so.

      Some of the power brought in is very well Brown power as we discussed in my last post…https://lailayuile.com/2019/07/02/an-update-on-site-c-bc-lng-when-climate-change-reveals-the-bc-ndp-vision-was-nothing-but-a-mirage/

      Which tells me our ” reliable and consistent hydro electricity ” no longer meets that designation in times of drought. Reservoirs cannot be drained to extreme levels to produce electricity. Even WAC was producing 20-30% less than normal.

      So hydro and these companies want to create and export hydrogen now, powered by hydro electricity?

      Are they trying to create a market for site c again?

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6. That shape of that north slope now looks pretty scary all over the place. And even just seeing it from my amateurish spot, I would not want to be living on top of that damn thing let alone working on that damn thing no matter what wage was offered. I wonder if Horgan and Mungal are saying We don’t see that.

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7. I would hope that Worksafe is looking at that slope. Not. They work at the behest of the master. The BC Government. I can’t see them going against that political and corporate power. I do think they are on a choke chain when it comes to this power. So much for safety talk.

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8. You’d think that if they (BCHydro Engineers) have the capacity/capability of diverting the Peace River they’d be able to divert their ‘poorly constructed’ drainage facility into a pipe and get it out of the way?

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9. “For the cost of Site C and the hydro rate increases that will have to result in order to pay off that beast, we could have undertaken independent solar projects all over BC that would not only reduce demand further, but feed back into the grid when there is excess. Conservation and highly efficient appliances and devices have further reduced demand. Many who are moving to EV’s, are also installing solar to cover the costs of charging.”
   As of last month there were about 1,600 customers (out of 1.7 million!) that had availed themselves of the grid tied solar installations. And BCHydro had the temerity/audacity to ask the BCUC to restrict these users to producing no more than the amount of power used in the previous year. And if they did, by no more than 10%, Hydro asked that they be allowed to pay no more than wholesale rate (.03/kWh?) instead of .10/kWh that they had paid previously!
   Instead of encouraging the generation of household created energy they put a huge damper on it! As I noted, I do have a post-kindergarten education, something the elected officials seem to lack!

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   1. According to good old Dave Conway, this erosion is stable….

      If you recall, he said the tension crack we reported on here, wasnt a crack originally, then the admitted it was a tension crack but that it was stable..then people couldnt work under it…then more slope had to be removed….🤣

      Let’s see how much this is going to cost then to fix.

      The entire area is a slide prone area that has repeatedly cost this project time and money and in some cases injuries and accidents.

      https://www.energeticcity.ca/2019/07/erosion-at-site-c-dam-said-to-be-stable/

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      1. Don’t know who Dave Conway is and don’t want to know him. Erosion is stable???? what is the guy on? You don’t have to be an engineer to see the problem from the pictures.

         The NDP could stop the dam based on the pictures, blame the engineers and the B.C. Lieberals, etc. and move along.

         One good shake and the whole mess is going to cave in on itself.

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         1. Ha! Dave Conway is the site c mouthpiece who always says everything is awesome and normal even when it’s not 😉

            Doug Routley was engaging with myself and Guy & Shirley Gentner on Nick Simon’s Facebook page. He was laughing and saying this is the Liberals baby and he admitted they werent forced into the decision, they chose it.

            That is the truth. They werent forced into it. Horgan chose to continue it. And everything from the moment of that decision on, sits firmly in his lap. Which is why very few ndp members will even share this post.

            Premier Dwight Ball is still trying to blame the old premier for his decision to keep building Muskrat. That’s going to be Horgan one day….

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10. Those Alaska Highway News photos look familiar. Wait. They are!

    “Erosion on the north bank of the Peace River above Site C.”

    “Photo By LAILAYUILE.COM”

    https://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/site-c/recent-rains-cause-new-erosion-problems-at-site-c-1.23890816

    The Alaska Highway News link appears in Dermod Travis Integrity BC site.

    The link to this page also appears in Integrity BC.

    The news is spreading. Doubtless so will the media excuses “it’s only just a…” and political denials.

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    1. Ha. Thanks for this. I posted the Energicity link but forgot this one. They originally didnt state where the story or photos were sourced though so, so if they did now, its been added after the fact.

       I dont think media likes getting scooped 😉

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11. I wonder what the angle of that slope is.

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    1. I’m guessing it’s not more than 1 1/2:1. Used to be, when we had a long exposed slope like that it would be ‘Hydro-seeded’, a mixture of mulch, grass seed and fertilizer used to stabilize the slope. I’m guessing the practices of highway construction haven’t yet penetrated the skulls of would-be dam builders. And they haven’t even got to the hard part yet!

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       1. I have a photo of this part of the valley prior to excavation somewhere, to show comparison. Actually it’s in another post. They have removed far more than they originally anticipate in continual efforts to stop slides and movement. I’m not sure in this particular case that hydroseeding would stabilize such unstable material . Its just the nature of this beast and as we know, well documented.
          .

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          1. Yes it sure looks like the geologic material make up is really hard to manage and stabilize no matter what they do. Yikes. That whole area looks unstable. One doesn’t even have to be there or have a degree in geology, or this area of expertise to see it. You feel it, just by looking at those pictures.

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       2. Thankyou.

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12. Oh, dear. I did have a good look at those pictures. Don’t know a thing about engineering or dam building, but I do know when the sides of a hole are sinking in, you’re in trouble. This is going to cost a whole lot of money which could be better spent on affordable housing, addiction treatment centers, a few more doctors, etc…….

    That will be one dam one ought not to be living too close too.

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13. I guess John Horgan and his Site C side kick the Very Dishonourable Minister of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resource Michelle Mungal might be in real bad spot,if there were a catastrophic failure that ended up with tragic consequences. Or anyone in charge over the safety aspect on that scale and maybe didn’t want to rock the boat. One way tickets out of the country, may be a one preferable option.

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    1. You’re up and at it early Kenneylad! Happy Sunday to you….time to go fishing!

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       1. Hey Happy Sunday to you also. Had to get it out of my system before I go out and seize the day. I’m not too great at fishing though. Ok,really lousy.

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          1. There’s fishing. And then there’s catching, then landing, and only then are you able to actually eat, or ‘catch and release’ if that’s your bent.
             Any way its an enjoyable way to pass a day

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14. what happens when they put the water in?

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    1. This unstable north slope that’s turning this into a bigger boondoggle isn’t actually the dam.

       It’s the slope they will attach the north side of the dam to…

       😂🙄🙏🏼

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15. “Yesterday I couldn’t even spell Injunear and now I are one.” I remember, some 55+ years ago taking a course in soil mechanics, where we took soil samples and determined the characteristics of the soil: it’s plasticity index, it’s density, cohesion, porosity and all sorts of terms that would determine it’s suitability as a dam base.
    My recollection is that they (the tests) would have proven this material is NOT suitable
    for foundation of a large dam, or the pyramids either, for that matter.
    Of course, technology and modern construction methods have changed somewhat over time, but……maybe it’s time I went back to school and learned some of these techniques.

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16. Has to be remembered that Site C was turned down twice in the past. Engineering techs working on the investigations in the late 70’s and late 80’s shook their heads as they prepped samples for transport to labs for testing. Very weak material and poor adhesion between various horizons. Not a place for a dam. BCUC rejected the project for the high cost related to the risks of building at a poor location. Board of directors turned it down in the early 90’s for essentially the same reasons, adding that it was too environmentally destructive as well.
    What changed, other than governments desperate for a mega project?

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    1. Are you suggesting that what I learned all those decades ago was, in fact, based on solid engineering principles?
       That this whole thing is now some politically corrupt scheme to deny me credibility? I was also taught that shit runs downhill and payday is on Friday. I hope that hasn’t changed too.

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       1. Hahahaha….this is why I think you are so awesome. You taught me almost everything I know about civil engineering!

          By the way. I’ll have a funny not so funny north slope post again tomorrow.

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17. OMG! I never thought you’d take me seriously! A lot was based on courses I slept through in an alcoholic daze! I’m a Life Member now so I don’t think they can make me responsible for anything I might have taught you.
    Besides, it was your fault for paying attention.

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    1. Cheeky 🤣

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