Stave River Water Use Plan - BC Hydro

Stave River Water Use Plan
Monitoring Terms of Reference June 13, 2005
The monitor will also be interpreted in terms of accepting or rejecting the
assumption made during the WUP process that pelagic productivity does not change in
response to reservoir operations. This assumption was adopted largely because of a
lack of information that indicates otherwise. Though CC members were tempted to
assume some sort of causal relationship, there was too little data available to determine
its general nature with any degree of certainty. A direct test of this assumption through
annual comparisons of primary production estimates, in conjunction with the result of
Phase 1 of the monitor, will lead to its rejection or validation.
If deemed valid, the impetus will be to explore the possibility of relaxing reservoir
constraints as an option in future WUPs. However, if deemed invalid, the models and
monitor information can be used to assess the benefits of further constraining reservoir
operations and enhance overall productivity. These constraints however, will be at the
cost of other values in the system. To help resolve such conflicts, the results of the
monitor may be used to develop appropriate non-operational alternatives. It should be
stressed that the discussion of future actions will occur at the next WUP process.
2.5 Schedule
As indicated in section 2.2, much of Phase 1 has already been completed, but
the final QA/QC of the data, as well as the hypothesis testing and modelling components
of the monitor, have yet to be started. Part of the work in year 1 will be to finish the
tasks of Phase 1, including a final report summarising all of the information and analyses
as they pertain to the WUP.
Because Phase 1 is near completion, Phase 2 of the monitor will also be started
in year 1 of the monitor. Every three years, a 14 C estimate of primary production will be
carried out until the end of the monitor at the next WUP review process - a period of 10
years.
2.6 Budget
The total cost of the monitor is estimated to be $269,900. Roughly $10,200 of
this amount is to cover the costs of completing Phase 1 of the monitor while the
remainder is for carrying out Phase 2. The annual cost will cycle between $22,500 and
$33,900 per year depending on whether a 14 C estimate of primary production is done.
Average annual cost of the 10-year monitor is $26,000 per year, a value within $1000
(4%) of the proposed cost listed in the CC report (Failing1998).
The costs given above are based on the cost of services and products in 2004.
When adjusted for annual inflation (2%), the total program cost is expected to be closer
to $300,800. A summary breakdown of the labour costs and expenses is provided in
Table 1-1.
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