Yukon Energy to take Southern Lakes water storage project to YESAB

Yukon Energy is taking the next step in its decade-long effort to bring its Southern Lakes storage enhancement project to life. 

The project proposes storing 30 more centimetres of water in Marsh, Tagish and Bennett lakes in the fall and early winter, which Yukon Energy would then use to generate hydroelectricity later in the winter when there's higher demand for energy. 

The extra water would be enough for Yukon Energy to generate 6.5 more gigawatt hours of electricity each winter or, enough to power about 500 homes, according to corporation documents. It would also cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 3,100 tonnes due to a reduced dependence on diesel and liquefied natural gas.

On Dec. 11,  the corporation announced that it was preparing to put a proposal for the project before the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Board (YESAB), and expects to submit it in the spring or summer of 2021. 

If the board gives it the greenlight, it wouldn't mean the project is in the clear, Hall noted. Yukon Energy would still have to seek regulatory approvals from the Yukon Water Board and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. And if it rejects the project, the corporation would need to submit a new proposal.

In an interview, Andrew Hall, Yukon Energy president and CEO, said the project was part of the corporation's plan for meeting renewable energy goals. 

"When we look at our future, you know, the first place we look is, 'Is there some extra energy we can squeeze out of our existing assets?' And that's really what this project is ... can we produce more energy out of the Whitehorse dam?" he said. 

"We can do that by holding more water back in the lake system. So, you know, from our perspective, it provides energy in the winter when we need it in a cost effective way."

Potential risks too great, Marsh Lake resident argues

Not everyone's sold on the plan. 

The Southern Lakes Water Levels Committee, made up of area residents, has long opposed the project, citing the damage flooding and erosion could have on sensitive wildlife habitats, properties and the watershed as a whole. 

Committee member Sue Greetham, who lives in the Judas Creek subdivision, told CBC she doesn't believe the benefits outweigh the potential negative impacts and that the committee would "absolutely" be making submissions to YESAB. 

"We wouldn't drop the ball on this one — it's too big," she said.

"The potential risk and loss is far too great to see this proceed … We have to get our priorities straight and look at what's really valuable to this territory, and that's, you know, the water in the air and the pristine environment that we're blessed to live in." 

'Substantial' resources spent on studying impact, Hall says

Hall acknowledged that there's been opposition to the project, but said that a survey done by the Yukon Bureau of Statistics showed that the majority of Yukoners, and Southern Lakes residents, are in support of it as long as the environmental impacts aren't significant. 

Yukon Energy has spent a "substantial amount of our resources and money" studying the potential environmental impacts of its project, Hall said. If it's approved, he said it would implement a monitoring and adaptive management plan to track and address any unintended effects.

As well, the corporation is working with property owners on shoreline protection and flooding mitigation efforts and will be setting up an adjudication process for anyone whose property is unexpectedly impacted by rising water levels. 

Yukon Energy is also working with Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Ta'an Kwäch'än Council and Carcross/Tagish First Nation to complete fieldwork for a heritage resources impact assessment and set out project benefits agreements. 

The earliest it would be able to use the Southern Lakes to store additional water, if YESAB approves the project and all other regulatory approvals are granted, would be fall 2023, Yukon Energy said in a news release.