BC Hydro is preparing to remove old and abandoned hydroelectric works near the Puntledge River.

The work includes removing old sections of the concrete penstock, anchor blocks and the old powerhouse building.

The work is being done for safety reasons, and to safely do the work, nearly all of the five kilometre penstock corridor from the Puntledge diversion dam down to the powerhouse will be closed off to the public starting around in mid-June.

The BC Power Commission, BC Hydro鈥檚 predecessor, undertook significant upgrades to the hydroelectric system in the 1950s.

When those upgrades took place some of the older facility infrastructure works, no longer part of the newly formed operating facility, were abandoned.

鈥淪ome of those old facilities were removed while other components were left in place,鈥� says BC Hydro spokesperson, Stephen Watson. 鈥淭he original powerhouse building, sometimes referred to as the 25 Cycle Building, and some sections of the old penstock, remain today.

We are removing these old and abandoned works this summer for public and worker safety. The old and abandoned hydroelectric assets, dating back to 1912, are a safety risk because of seismic concerns and public interaction risks.鈥�

The remaining abandoned penstock infrastructure is in varying states of decay and pose various safety hazards. People walk by these areas and could climb onto them. This creates fall and injury risks.

The 25 Cycle Building will be removed down to the foundation level, and the remnants of the old penstock will be removed.

The total project cost is about $7 million. BC Hydro awarded the deconstruction work to the FMI/K鈥檕moks First Nation joint venture.

The project will require public closures along the penstock corridor from around mid-June to early fall. People do walk along the corridor though it is not intended for public use, says Watson, given it is an operating hydroelectric facility area.

鈥淭here is considerable use of the area as walkers criss-cross and access various formal and informal trails near or along the river.

However, with all the heavy equipment that our contractor will be operating on our property we want to ensure that it鈥檚 safe.

Access points to our land by the work areas such as at the end of Powerhouse Road, or near the Duncan Bay Logging Road, will be closed off starting around mid-June to the end of September and potentially a month or so beyond for the clean-up work.

We hope that people will please obey the site warning signage and seek out other areas to walk this summer.鈥�

Watson says BC Hydro and FMI wanted to emphasize their appreciation in advance of the public鈥檚 understanding of the project work and to stay away from the work zones.