BC Hydro is issuing a public safety advisory to caution people around the Puntledge River June 3 in the evening night through Wednesday, June 5.
Beginning Monday evening, discharge from the Comox Dam will increase from 32 m3/s up to 48 m3/s to control Comox reservoir water levels. Temporary safety signage will be placed along the river system this weekend.
Water inflows from the recent wet weather have slowly increased the Comox Lake Reservoir water level. Forecasters are monitoring the potential of a significant storm event Sunday into Monday and expect to increase the release of water to control the upstream reservoir level. There is still some uncertainty as to how the storm systems may track.
The Comox Lake reservoir level is about 134.9 metres above sea level; water free spills over the dam at the overflow spillway at 135.3 metres. Inflows are below normal, however, inflows may increase up to 60 m3/s from the storm event. By late next week, inflow is expected to recede to normal for this time of year.
Our February to September water inflow forecast is updated each month. The May water supply residual forecast for May to September was about 64 per cent of normal, according to BC Hydro.
Inflows for February and March were above to near normal (120 per cent and 95 per cent of normal respectively). Inflows for April and May have been below normal at 57 per cent. Given the short-term forecast for early June, the slow start of fresh and available remaining snowpack in the reservoir, the residual water supply forecast for June to September is expected to increase from May.
The range of reservoir operations is generally between 131 to 135.3 metres above sea level. Once the reservoir level peaks BC Hydro will manage downstream flows as needed with the available water storage through the summer and early fall for fish, domestic water supply and power generation.
Fish migration flows
Summer is when Chinook salmon begin migrating up the Puntledge River system, which includes adult salmon moving through the six-kilometre stretch of river from the generating station to the Puntledge River diversion dam, then through the fish ladder at the dam, and ultimately migrating past the Comox Dam into the reservoir.
To assist their migration past obstacles at Stotan and Nymph falls, there will be five, two-day higher flow releases below the diversion dam, starting June 18 and 19, and then taking place each Tuesday and Wednesday until July 17.
BC Hydro is issuing a public safety advisory to be cautious each Tuesday and Wednesday from June 18 to July 17 in the Barber鈥檚 Hole, Nymph Falls and Stotan Falls areas of the river, from the diversion dam to the powerhouse.
River flows at these locations will go from about six m3/s to about 12 m3/s. Temporary safety signage will be posted in advance. Flows in all other areas of the Puntledge River will be normal with no safety notices in place.
