Press Release

May 7, 2009

BC Hydro completes project to prevent eagle collisions and improve reliability

CAMPBELL RIVER – BC Hydro recently completed a distribution line project that will create better system resiliency and perhaps more importantly, prevent eagle-related collisions and contacts along Argonaut Road, in Campbell River.

BC Hydro was noticing significant eagle perch contacts and collisions into the three-phase power lines near the Campbell River landfill. The contacts were causing injury and in most cases, mortalities to the birds. Power outages also occurred. About four years ago, BC Hydro decided to de-energize 18 spans of distribution line to limit this environmental impact.

However, the section of line taken out of service then prevented a loop switching option to the circuit that serves the Argonaut Road and Gold River Highway areas. The benefit of the loop configuration was that an outage cause could be isolated and then switched around to lessen power outage durations.

In March, BC Hydro competed a $183,000 system improvement project to replace those 18 spans of line in making them more visible to eagles in flight, and also prevent eagles that perch on the poles or lines from being electrocuted.

"This improvement project has allowed the loop circuit configuration to be restored and deal with the environmental concerns of eagles contacting power lines," says BC Hydro Senior Environmental Coordinator, Bryan Hebden. "This project should reduce outage durations and will prevent eagle mortalities. BC Hydro is pleased with the results of the new design and finished project. This will benefit eagles and our customers."

In a similar circumstance, BC Hydro spent $250,000 to bury 10 spans of distribution line at Port Albion, near Ucluelet, in 2006. Given the close proximity of a prime eagle habitat and a nearby seafood distributor, 5 to 10 eagle mortalities were occurring per year along that small section of line. To date, there has not been one eagle related mortality or outage along the circuit.