IMWA — Mine Water Forum

Hello everyone, my name is Neil Salvin, and I am in Yukon, Canada. I work as a licensing officer for the Territorial water board, drafting water licences for presentation to the Board for approval. I deal with all different undertakings, from agricultural to municipal water treatment and waste disposal, but a large part of our licencing is in placer gold operations and hard rock mines. I am interested in many of the topics discussed here, including ARD/ML prediction, treatment, and long term maintenance, environmental and socio-economic impacts of mining projects, and improving standard mitigations and best practices. I look forward to sharing ideas and benefitting from the wealth of experience and knowledge that is evident in the IMWA membership. Cheers!

Hi Niel,

Welcome to the board. Look forward to reading your contribution.

Out of intrest and not particularly mine-water related, I dont know if you have anything to do with licensing of small scale hydro power systems. How is this done in Canada?


Thanks

Andy

Andy, that is no small question! Probably all of our Yukon Hydro infrastructure would be considered "small scale" to the rest of the world, having a population of only 32,000, and a total hydro production of 75 MW. So it depends upon your definition of small! The application process here is two fold, first complete an environmental assessment through YESAB (Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board), and then apply for the regulatory permits required, which could be lengthy, but would include a water licence from the Yukon Water Board (a quasi-judicial board established under the UFA - Yukon First Nation Umbrella Final Agreement), a Fisheries Authorization from the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a Yukon Land Use permit for any associated Land based activities, and so on, depending on the activities proposed. A good place to get an idea is from the water board website at http://www.yukonwaterboard.ca/forms_info.htm#power , and check the info sheet. Or go to a recent licence at http://www.yukonwaterboard.ca/licences.htm#hydro , and check out the licence and the reasons for decision. This is for Yukon. For the rest of the country, I believe that under section 91 of the constitution act, administration of water rights was assigned to provincial jurisdiction. Yukon, being a territory, just devolved authority for our land and water from the federal government 10 years ago or so.
I hope this leads you to the answer to your question!

Hi Neil,

When I say small I mean 5 to 20 kW. Not a lot really. In the UK the costs of installation of such a system would start at £20,000 to £25,000 and I think would require the installer seeks suitable planning permission. For instance:





I agree that ESIA is important in any project but at the same time, this could be an important area where government intervention could encourage green energy production.

In wet countries anyway