BC Hydro expects the water flow from the John Hart powerhouse to fluctuate through January and into February in response to customer demand but that flexibility comes with a public safety notice for recreational users along the Campbell River.
“We are advising anglers such as Steelhead fishers, and any other water recreation user, to be cautious within or near the Campbell River flow below the John Hart generating station during this six-week period,” BC Hydro spokesperson Stephen Watson says. “We generally look to ramp up the flows in the early morning before daylight, and then ramp down flows in the evening, but there could be variations. There is lots of water storage in the system this year so we’ll be more inclined to use this operation.”
From Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, BC Hydro can adjust operations at the John Hart facility to respond to electric system customer demand. Because of fish habitat and the fish lifecycle, this is the only time of the year the utility has this flexibility.
River fish habitat is fully covered with water at about 80 cubic metres per second (m3/s). The flows may range from about 84 m3/s up to 128 m3/s when at full electricity generation. This means Campbell River flows may increase quickly by about 50 per cent.
Temporary safety awareness signage has been posted, as is done every year, along the river banks.
The ability to be able to “load factor” came from BC Hydro’s community water use planning process that was completed about 20 years ago.
