Cold, dry weather threatens fish habitat, but not power supply: B.C. Hydro

British Columbia's unusually dry fall weather has resulted in some of the lowest river levels on record on the South Coast.

B.C. Hydro says colder and drier conditions have forced it to adjust its operations on the coast in order to maintain flow levels and reduce impacts on downstream fish habitats.

"It's unprecedented," said spokesperson Stephen Watson. "Thankfully, we did have some good water storage back in July and we began to conserve water because we began to focus on salmon that are migrating and spawning into the fall."

He says the current challenge is ensuring salmon eggs remain covered with water, especially since river flows are historically low in cases like the Campbell and Puntledge river systems.

A statement from the Crown utility says it will be able to keep up with electricity demand across the province this winter because of its large integrated hydroelectric system.

Watson says larger facilities in the Peace region and the Interior provide enough power for the rest of the province.

However, it says it has recorded historic low inflows at many of its smaller generating facilities in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island.

"It's the time of year when typically we're in pretty good shape," said Watson. "The fall of last year was extremely wet. Here we are on the opposite side of the scale. So we're just hopeful that things will change here in the next few weeks."

While forecasts show little rain to fill South Coast reservoirs in the near term, B.C. Hydro says records indicate rain and snowmelt typically show up in January and February.

The utility says it has plans in place to manage flows and protect fish until the rain and melt come, taking steps beyond what is required.

In the long term, B.C. Hydro says it is improving its forecast accuracy and monitoring technology to better prepare for extreme events.