Drought Threatens Puntledge River Salmon

October 14, 2022

BC has experienced the worst drought in years; while farmers are benefiting from this extended year of harvest throughout the province, BC’s salmon have been struggling. This year's drought has significantly impacted salmon in certain bodies of water throughout the province, with many water flow records being smashed.

The dam on Comox Lake has been restricting flows to the Puntledge River trying to save room in the reservoir for more of a sustained drought. The river's minimum fish habitat flow of 15.7 cubic meters per second is no longer as this week's projected flow sits at around 8.5 cubic meters per second. Leaving a gap that is almost half of the needed flow to the river.

Rain is expected next Friday, and BC Hydro has been deploying “fish salvage crews” in key locations around the River attempting to save fish affected by these dramatically decreased flows.