The current volume of water in the Campbell River reservoir system is lower than normal, BC Hydro says.
And without significant rain between now and June, summer watershed recreation users will see water levels continue to be lower than normal in the reservoirs.
We have come through a dry February and March where precipitation was 65 per cent and 26 per cent of normal, and while April has recovered with precipitation at 160 per cent of normal to date, the temperatures have meant this was mostly added to the snowpack, BCHydro spokesperson Stephen Watson says.
Water inflows into the Campbell River system have been low with the March monthly inflow just 39 per cent of average.
Inflows are picking up slightly from some recent rain and the beginnings of the snowmelt.
The Upper Campbell Reservoir/Buttle Lake is currently at about 214.8 metres, which is about 2.5 metres below average.
“We have a ways to go, as we look to the spring and summer snowmelt to increase the reservoir levels and water storage capacity as we move through the summer,” Watson said.
BC Hydro’s reservoir level forecast, which is subject to change based on weather, may see the Upper Campbell Reservoir/Buttle Lake in a similar position as it is now come the May Long Weekend. BC Hydro’s summer reservoir recreational target, from June 21 to early September, does have the reservoir entering the lower side of the 217 m to 220.5 m target. Later in the summer the reservoir looks to peak within the lower side of the reservoir recreation target.
This is the first year of not being able to use water from the removed Salmon River diversion dam facility. About a 12 cubic metres per second (m3/s) average flow rate from the diversion, from April through June, would equate to about a 1.35 m reservoir elevation in the Upper Campbell Reservoir/Buttle Lake.
“We are now managing the system with less water storage options than we’ve had available to us in the past,” Watson said.
For more see: VIDEO: The story of the Salmon River Diversion Dam removal