VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Metro Vancouver is looking for input from the public as it looks at making power from water spillover at the Capilano and Seymour watersheds on the North Shore.

The plan is to add turbines to the Cleveland Dam, where water from the reservoir already spills over.

Metro Water Committee Chair Tim Stevenson says hearing from the public is an important step forward. He says they want to address any concerns the public may have. “But we have to obviously be very concerned about the fish, about the recreational areas, and ensuring there are no ill effects, which we don’t think there will be. But we obviously want to go forward to the public to talk about.”

He says the goal is to get the most from our watersheds while maintaining the quality of drinking water. Stevenson isn’t giving a time line on when the project could move forward, or how it may be funded.

Past studies show adding hydroelectric capability just to the Cleveland Dam alone could generate 16 megawatts of electricity, enough to power around 40,000 homes.

The open house is this Tuesday, October 12, at 7 p.m. at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier in North Vancouver.