BREAKING. What this means is that the extremely expensive conveyor belt built for #SiteC is non-functional. We had hints something was up before Christmas when it simply wasn't in use and then they levelled & landscaped the landing pad, as if they were putting it to bed... #bcpoli https://twitter.com/sarahcox_bc/status/1349072265695162371

"On Jan 5, 2021 the PRRD received a request from BC Hydro seeking feedback on a proposed amendment to the #SiteC Environmental Assess't Certificate which envisions hauling of excavated material from the 85th Ave lands to the dam site by truck rather than by the conveyor system"

..This is yet another serious setback/snafu at #SiteC. The conveyor belt was very expensive to build, including buying up properties and at least one homeowner out. Trucking will be extremely costly and of course not very “clean.” #bcpoli

..Note that BC Hydro made a big deal during the #SiteC Environmental Assessment hearings about how this conveyor belt was by far the best way to move the material for a whole host of reasons. BC Hydro has so far been unembarrassable but this has to embarrass even them. #bcpoli

Can you imagine being a local resident and having 122 dump trucks roar past your house an hour - for 3 years? This affects many residents including those at Old Fort, already beleaguered by the massive 2018 landslide.

..From a source in the Peace Valley on December 12, 2020, an aerial photo: "Of note is the stockpile at the end of the conveyor belt. All landscaped. Not much activity in the excavation area either. Must be prepping for a shutdown or why landscape?" @sarahcox_bc #SiteC #bcpoli

Here's a post from the summer, earlier phase of #SiteC conveyor belt problems... https://www.facebook.com/arlene.boon.7/posts/10157255923771027

& in Sept: "We keep hearing rumours about the Shaman property that was specifically purchased because apparently it had the perfect material (clay) to build the impermeable core of the #SiteC dam & river diversion cofferdams. But it seems the material is too sandy & not suitable"

More hearsay (because workers fear going on record): "As a result, workers say the conveyor belt is a total waste of money. Of course that would beg the Q of where will they then source the material for the impermeable core of #SiteC & how they will transport it to the site."

To conclude, Qs: if all this is true, & they didn't ensure that the fill material at the Shaman property was suitable for the impermeable core of the #SiteC dam, how can we be confident they tested the geology under the dam either? It's moving, so mistakes made there too. #bcpoli

..The #BCNDP cabinet meets tomorrow. It seems @BruceRalston will be presenting the Milburn report to them. Seems we'll get Horgan's yay or nay on #SiteC in late Jan/early Feb. Will they discuss the conveyor fiasco? Will Ralston tell cabinet this project is A-OK? #bcpoli

What is it going to take for these politicians to cry uncle? As my engineer friend who has experience with Peace Valley shale always says, #SiteC isn't an engineering project or even an energy project - it's a political project." #bcpoli