BC Hydro is warning the public of increased flows on the Puntledge River Friday through Tuesday.
The river flow will increase about three fold beginning tonight (Thursday) and will stay at the high flow rate though to Tuesday (June 5). Wednesday, BC Hydro will decrease the river flow by half but still have higher than normal flows above the generation station in the Stotan Falls stretch of the river.
On June 9, river flows will return to normal levels.
BC Hydro is currently releasing about 32 cubic metres per second from the Comox Dam. Flow releases will increase to 90 cubic metres per second Friday morning, then shift to 45 cubic metres per second by Wednesday morning.
Water released from the Comox Dam travels 3.7 kilometres before it arrives at the Puntledge Diversion Dam where most of the water travels down the five kilometre-long pipeline to the generating station off Powerhouse Road.
BC Hydro also releases a fish habitat flow in the river of about six cubic metres per second from the diversion dam to the generating station.
Flows will be dangerously high until next Wednesday when the river flow will be reduced along this stretch of river to about 20 cubic metres per second through Friday.
Stephen Watson of BC Hydro noted the snow pack is still high and BC Hydro is releasing more water to absorb the delayed snow melt though the rest of June and into July.
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The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has conducted weekly snorkel surveys and have yet to see significant returning summer chinook. BC Hydro and DFO are collaborating on potential river flow tests to determine the flow level where these fish can move about the fish weir at DFO’s lower hatchery.
DFO is set to release hatchery-raised chinook juveniles over the next week. The higher release of water from the dam will help the salmon migrate out to sea and past predators.
Hydro will also commence its annual summer fish migration flows beginning June 12 to 13, taking place over five weeks every Tuesday and Wednesday through July 11.
BC Hydro doubles the river flow at Nymph Falls and Stotan Falls to allow fish to move upstream and move about river obstacles.
The public should be cautious in this stretch of river when the migration flows are in place.
— BC Hydro
