BC Hydro’s John Hart facilities are discharging water into the Campbell River system near the lowest level allowed by the utility’s water licence and low reservoir levels will continue for the rest of the summer.
Discharge levels are currently at about 30 cubic metres per second (m3/s), said Stephen Watson, BC Hydro spokesperson.
The Campbell River is flowing at this rate to conserve water and balance water abundance across the whole watershed, including the low reservoir levels for this time of year in the Upper Campbell Reservoir/Buttle Lake and Lower Campbell Reservoir/McIvor Lake, Watson said.
“We are discharging about 30 m3/s through the Campbell River system dams though the water inflows into the system are only about 22 m3/s, which is about 45 per cent of historical average for this time of year,” Watson said. “Given the dry conditions and forecast, the now depleted snowpack, and our corrective action zones across the system, we will likely stay at this flow rate through to September and then increase flows for the salmon migration and spawning period.”
Power generation at John Hart is just over 20 per cent of capacity.
Cumulative precipitation in the watershed has been tracking below average since March. It was the second driest March on record, which goes back 37 years, and it was the driest May on record. July is on track to be the eighth driest on record.
The Upper Campbell Reservoir/Buttle Lake is currently at 217.1 metres and may slowly decline into early September. It may likely hover within the 216.5 to 217 metre range over that time period. Hydro’s summer recreation level target is 217 m to 220.5 metres. Going back to the 1990s and the Interim Flow Management Strategy, and the since 2013 and the current water use planning order, this is only the second year that the reservoir will go below 217 metres. In 2015, the reservoir hit about 214.3 metres.
The Lower Campbell Reservoir/McIvor Lake is currently at 176.5 metres and may slowly decline into early September. It may likely hover near the 176 metre range over that time period. Our summer recreation level target for this reservoir is 176.5 m to 177.5 metres.
Upper watershed recreation users will notice the low reservoir levels not just now but through the rest of the summer.
