Project Description

Palmer, in association with Morrison Hershfield, was engaged by Tlingit Homeland Energy to conduct an assessment of the potential effects a change in the operational range of water level at the proposed Atlin Hydro Expansion Project could have on shoreline processes and morphology in Surprise Lake, British Columbia.

Our assessment provided a comprehensive and substantiated understanding of where, how, and to what degree the morphology of the shoreline of Surprise Lake may change in response to proposed changes in lake levels. The results informed members of Taku River Tlingit First Nation about projected changes to recreational beaches, vegetation changes and the spawning habitat for local Arctic Grayling populations.

In addition, photo renderings were prepared to help community members visualize projected changes. Palmer has since been retained to conduct hydrodynamic and coastal sediment transport modeling of select beaches along the shoreline of Surprise Lake to better quantify initial projections.