Moore Hill Power Line

I understand that BC Hydro is planning to run a new pole line along Pilkey Point Road along Moore Hill. It appears to have been staked. I thought I should give a bit of history on this for consideration by the community.

When we were working on the second phase of Meadow Valley BC Hydro were, at the time, planning to put this same pole line in. The community was very much opposed to the proposed approach, because of the impact on trees along the line, in an area that is not just beautiful but also a sensitive ecosystem.

To avoid this impact, I agreed with BC Hydro to allow them to run the line down on Phase 2 of the development, and to support that we built road accesses to their requirements for the pole locations and cleared the line--even though this meant cutting through a forested area which I had hoped to leave natural and impacting lots with the road accesses. This was a significant cost, and impact, but I considered it worthwhile because it maintained (as far as possible) the connection of canopy between the bluffs to the west of the road and Moore Hill to the east. The alignment was chosen to minimize impact, particularly where the line went up and down the hill.

To further protect this area I created common property along the road allowance alignment and placed a conservation covenant on that area, in the hope that eventually Moore Hill would also be protected by a covenant--which, happily, it now is.

If BC Hydro now change their minds and build the line down Pilkey Point Road the result will be the same cutting of large numbers of trees and opening of the canopy that the community originally proposed, plus the past and ongoing impact of the line that now services phase 2 lots in Meadow Valley on its way to Pilkey Point (or, even worse, new lines down from the road to each lot which would completely destroy the continuity of the covenant protected area and leave space for invasive species to take over--which I understand one Hydro rep. suggested).

I can understand that BC Hydro would prefer the maintenance of the main transmission line down the road, but they have committed themselves to protecting that area in the past in full knowledge of what they were getting into. I hope that the community will take action to dissuade them from going back on their commitment. If they want to improve access to the existing poles, they have the ability to do that and I for one would assist them--so they have no reasonable excuse for their planned pole line.

Ian Ralston