On Wednesday morning, July 5, Bc Hydro personnel reduced the Puntledge River flow to conserve water within the Comox Lake Reservoir.

鈥�(This was done) in case it鈥檚 a dry summer and early fall, though one section of the river will see higher flows, and we鈥檙e issuing a public safety notice for that section of river that will likely last through the summer,鈥� said BC Hydro senior stakeholder engagement advisor, Stephen Watson.

The Comox Lake Reservoir level reached a high of 135.2 metres in June. It is currently at about 134.93 metres, with the normal operating range between 131 metres above sea level to 135.3 metres. Water inflows into the Puntledge River system for the week of July 3-9 are about 12 cubic metres per second (m3/s) though it is continuing to drop as the summer progresses.

鈥淥ur focus is to provide water flows downstream for fish habitat this summer and into the fall for the consideration of the returning salmon that will be entering the river system this fall, and their ability to migrate and spawn,鈥� said Watson. 鈥淭he minimum year-round fish habitat flow below the Puntledge River powerhouse is 15.6 m3/s. Today (Wednesday, July 5) we are reducing the Puntledge River flow from about 16 m3/s to about 13 m3/s. The powerhouse, which has been running at about 20 per cent of capacity, will then be shut down. In advance of this flow reduction, we engaged with government fish agencies. It is now common for river flows in the summer to move below the 15.6 m3/s flow rate.

鈥淲ith water flows no longer passing through the penstock to the powerhouse, we are issuing a public safety advisory to be cautious from Wednesday onward in the Barber鈥檚 Hole and Nymph Falls areas of the river, from the diversion dam to the powerhouse, as flows in this stretch of the river will be about double the normal summer flow.鈥�

River flows at these locations will go from about 6 m3/s to about 13 m3/s. Temporary safety signage is in place and the signage may be in place through the summer or until the powerhouse comes back online.

鈥淲e will be closely watching the weather and water inflows into the system, and continually update our water modelling as we look at the various scenarios ahead,鈥� said Watson. 鈥淚f there are further operational changes needed later this summer we will update the community. We will also continue to communicate with the Comox Valley Regional District on domestic water supply considerations.鈥�

ALSO: Stage 2 water restrictions now in effect for Comox Valley Water System users