West Kelowna council officially opposes overhead BC Hydro transmission lines - BERITAJA

West Kelowna, B.C. metropolis assembly has unanimously voted to formally reason BC Hydro’s connection to build overhead transmission lines arsenic portion of a task to adhd a second powerfulness source to the city, urging the inferior to alternatively instal the lines underground.

“We’ve been advocating really since we incorporated successful 2007 for redundant power. It’s highly important,” said West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom. “But we do not want overhead lines.”

The determination comes arsenic concerns proceed to turn among residents, businesses and section chopper operators complete the imaginable effect of transmission towers, which could scope up to 100 feet gangly and tally done the organization arsenic BC Hydro considers various routes.

“There are chopper operations that are saying if that happens past that impacts our aerodrome, we could nary longer function,” Coun. Rick de Jong said  astatine the past assembly gathering connected June 23.

The rumor has drawn renewed attraction pursuing past month’s fast-moving wildfire successful Kalamoir Regional Park, wherever section chopper companies played a domiciled successful firefighting efforts.

“I was adjacent to that Kalamoir Park fire, excessively adjacent for comfort, and we watched the helicopters travel successful and retired of Valhalla and Wildcat and Alpine,” said Justin Pasutto, a West Kelowna resident who opposes overhead lines.

City officials opportunity they’ve heard from respective chopper operators who are worried the projected transmission lines could interfere pinch their operations.

In a connection to BERITAJA, Alpine Helicopters said it has precocious had “some constructive discussions pinch BC Hydro lately and they understand our concerns.”

Opposition to the task extends beyond aviation.  Many residents person expressed concerns that overhead lines would person lasting impacts connected the community.

Now, aft months of debate, metropolis assembly has officially made its position known pinch a unanimous ballot to nonstop a missive to some BC Hydro and the BC Utilities Commission.

“From our constituent of view, these transmission lines, if they’re supra ground…the interest is that we’re going to person these lines wrong our organization for generations to come,” Milsom said.

“It’s not the Okanagan manner aliases measurement of life by having these 100-foot lines moving done our community.”

Milson said the volition of the missive is to make BC Hydro alert it is against the overhead transmission statement action arsenic good arsenic to impulse it to prosecute the much costly underground alternative.

Pasutto is among the residents applauding the metropolis for listening to their concerns.

“This is not the metropolis of West Kelowna that it was 17 years agone erstwhile this task was primitively brought onto everybody’s focus,” Pasutto said. “They are listening to this and they want this done right.”

BC Hydro said burying the transmission lines would costs about 10 times much than building them overhead.

In an email to BERITAJA, the institution added, “Underground building is much complex, takes longer to complete, requires coordination pinch different buried utilities and typically causes greater postulation disruptions and crushed disturbance during construction.

“Underground lines could besides beryllium much difficult to relocate to accommodate early development, and outages could return longer to find and repair.”

Some are truthful opposed to the overhead lines, they would alternatively proceed relying connected azygous powerfulness root than judge overhead transmission lines.

“The scar that it will time off connected this organization for years to travel is irreversible,” said metropolis councillor Garrett Millsap.

“I’m good to beryllium hooking up a generator astatine my location if they can’t fig retired really to put powerfulness lines underground.”