As the dry weather continues, some of the lowest inflows ever are being recorded into the Comox Valley water system.
That’s from an update on social media from BC Hydro senior stakeholder engagement advisor Stephen Watson. He says BC Hydro’s records for the area go back about 60 years, and the month of August has seen the lowest inflows ever recorded.
He says this means only about 3 to 4 m3/s are flowing into the reservoir, while the Browns and Tsolum rivers are only flowing at around 0.1 to 0.2 m3/s.
The Comox Dam meanwhile is releasing about 12 m3/s, according to Watson. He says this is a benefit of dams in that water can be stored and slowly released.
“The good news is, we did have the reservoir full in June. We did see the potential for a very dry spring and summer, so we reduced flows and eventually shut down the powerhouse,” said Watson.
He says they are looking to continue this trend into September, weather permitting, and the reservoir is looking about average for this time of year at just below 134 metres above sea level.
“Hopefully, the fall rains arrive sooner than later,” added Watson.
