Southern Lakes Enhancement

ten years in the making

The proposed Southern Lakes Enhanced Storage Project would see us storing more water in Marsh, Tagish and Bennett lakes in the fall and early winter each year. to generate more renewable electricity later in the winter, when it’s needed most.

After ten years of research, public engagement and planning on the Southern Lakes Enhanced Storage Project, Yukon Energy’s Board of Directors decided in 2020 to prepare a proposal to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) to assess the project.

As part of that decision, we also committed to:

Work with the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council to complete fieldwork for a Heritage Resources Impact Assessment.
Continue our discussions with First Nations governments and other stakeholders in the project area to develop a Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan. This will help us track potential effects of the project and outline how we’ll make adjustments, if needed, to address significant effects.
Negotiate project-specific Benefits Agreements with First Nations.
Meet with Southern Lakes property owners who are expected to be directly affected by the project to review and confirm our erosion and groundwater mitigation plans.
Develop an adjudication process for property owners who experience unexpected impacts, should the project be implemented, to file concerns and seek additional mitigation.

what did this decision mean?

YESAB would assess whether the proposed project is expected to have significant adverse effects on the environment or the well-being of Yukoners.
Yukoners and other interested parties would have the opportunity to share their views about the project directly with YESAB.
It does not mean that the project would proceed.

Fall 2022 update:

This project is on hold while Yukon Energy engages Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council on the relicensing of the Whitehorse hydro facility.

Any changes to the Southern Lakes’ water levels first requires the support of these First Nations governments and must be included in a future water use licence.

Information about the future of the Southern Lakes Enhanced Storage Project will be shared with Southern Lakes residents when a path forward has been confirmed with First Nations governments in the project area.