Weir Ready!

Weekly Lake and River Update from Catalyst Paper – April 23

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Cowichan Lake Levels graph by Catalyst Paper

Every week during the ‘control’ season when the weir spill gates and boat locks and is in use (closed or partly closed), Catalyst Paper Mill’s Environment Manager provides an update by email to anyone interested.  Excerpt below re-posted with permission.  The full update can be viewed at https://www.catalystpaper.com/page/cowichan-water-management-information

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From: Houle, Brian (Crofton)
Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2020 9:20 AM
Subject: Weekly update of Cowichan

Greetings, Wet weather over previous few days is showing up as increasing lake level trend and lake level continues to rise this
morning. The flow from Cowichan Lake remains at the ideal seasonal flow of 25 cms and lake level is at about 90% full.
With rainfall continuing to be predicted for coming 7 days it is possible that 25 cms can be sustained through to end of
April as per the plan. Issues with the Snow Pillow at Heather Mountain were resolved yesterday and the pillow is again reporting current
snow pack.  The updated snow pack trend shows the recent warm weather has begun melting snow at Heather Mtn. snow pillow as
well as Jump Creek snow pillow. [message abbreviated….] Regards,
Brian Houle, Manager, Environment, Catalyst Crofton

 

Work begins on new weir for Cowichan Lake

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Weir spill gates _ citizen files

A contract has been awarded to Stantec Engineering Services to do designs, engineering and studies

Apr. 22, 2020 12:00 p.m.

Work to bring a new weir to Cowichan Lake to control water flows into the Cowichan River has started.

“On behalf of the project partners, we are all very relieved to see this project come to fruition and reiterate our thanks to our senior governments for their funding support,” said Aaron Stone, chair of the Cowichan Valley Regional District and co-chair of the Cowichan Watershed Board. “As our Cowichan climate becomes increasingly warmer and drier, maintaining adequate river flows in our key watersheds will be critical to the health of our region going forward.”

The CVRD announced Wednesday, April 22 that a contract has been awarded to Stantec Engineering Services to do designs, engineering and studies needed to build the new weir.

“The existing weir structure, constructed in the 1950s, is no longer capable of storing enough water to maintain flows in the Cowichan River during increasingly dryer summer and fall months,” said a press release from the CVRD. “The project follows many years of study, and will support future grant applications for the necessary funding to construct a new weir.”

The CVRD also announced that local resident Leroy Van Wieren, who has extensive experience managing large and complex projects, has been hired by the CVRD as the project manager.

The CVRD is directing the project on behalf of partners Cowichan Tribes, Paper Excellence and the Cowichan Watershed Board, and is being funded, in part, by a joint provincial and federal grant from the British Columbia Salmomn Recovery Innovation Fund announced in 2019.

[Read more…]

Weekly Lake and River Update from Catalyst Paper – April 16

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April 14 2020 Catalyst graphs

Cowichan Lake Levels. April 14 2020 update. Source: Catalyst Paper

Every week during the ‘control’ season when the weir spill gates and boat locks and is in use (closed or partly closed), Catalyst Paper Mill’s Environment Manager, Brian Houle, provides an update by email to anyone interested.  Re-posted with permission. 

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From: Houle, Brian (Crofton) <Brian.Houle@catalystpaper.com>
Date: Tue., Apr. 14, 2020, 4:26 p.m.
Subject: Weekly Lake and River update
Greetings to everyone,
Conditions in the watershed remained mostly dry since the last wet spell that partly refilled the lake.
Flow from the lake is being controlled to 25 cms and this high spring flow is a fisheries guided flow target.
I have been asked many times why the flow is so high and the simple answer is, the fish need these higher flows in the spring.
The high flows are needed by the young fish that are emerging from the gravel as the eggs hatch in the spring.

[Read more…]

Why “Weir” Ready: Part 1 in a Series

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Duncan Day Parade 2019

Shannon Waters (circled) with the lively Duncan Day Parade 2019 Cowichan Watershed Board group – the Cowichan Hosers!

Who are you?   Dr. Shannon Waters, Medical Health Officer for Cowichan Region, of Hul’qumi’num ancestry from the Stz’uminus First Nation, Cowichan Watershed Board member.

What is Your Connection to Cowichan River?   My connection extends generations upon generations through my ancestors. I have the privilege, honour and challenge of working to support health and well-being in my home territory. An Indigenous perspective of health includes the health of the watershed, rounding out my perspective as Medical Health Officer for the region.

Why do low river flows matter in your life?  Low river flows affect our collective well-being.

At a fundamental level the lake and river flows directly affect the drinking water source for some people in our region — water is integral to life.

As well, the Cowichan River and watershed touches the lives of all within the valley through means such as supporting food security (for example salmon); being a place for recreation/solace/cultural practices and therefore supporting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health; and supporting income security for those whose jobs are connected with the river. There is a mounting body of evidence that access to nature is beneficial to our well-being, especially our mental health — one of the areas of highest burden when looking at the population overall. Our environment, including the river and the watershed, can be valued as part of our mental health infrastructure.

We can start to look at the river and how it’s flowing as being part of our barometer of overall health.

What are your views on replacing the weir at Lake Cowichan to support better river flows?   Replacing the weir can support our collective well-being. I view our disrupted environment as the most significant threat to our health. Addressing this can seem overwhelming and beyond the scope of what we can do. Here in Cowichan, we have the infrastructure and the natural topography to have a weir to pool water when we have more precipitation to help at the times when it’s drier and hotter. It will require effort, money, and structural change, but it’s something we can collectively support to help us adapt to even bigger changes and health impacts that are coming in times ahead.

Last words:  The river has given to my family for generations. This is one way I can give back.

Why “Weir” Ready: with Dr. Shannon Waters

Vulnerability | Mine and the River’s

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Leadership Insights by Shannon Waters

Daily life eventually requires us all to rest and heal. I am fortunate.

Dr. Shannon Waters photoThe winding down of summer signifies change. In my home territory of Cowichan, this includes shorter daylight hours, leaves turning color, and school preparations for many families.

This year’s transition was accompanied by a pain in my gut that I tried to avoid, or explain away, but kept getting stronger.

As a physician in a small community, I self-consciously went to our local emergency department – in the middle of the night – because the pain was prompting action. Hours after my initial assessment, an ultrasound revealed the source. I had appendicitis.

The pain was prompting action.

I have good access to quality health care, a husband and family to help care for my two daughters, friends routing for me, and colleagues covering my work.

Still, while lying on the stretcher having one last conversation with the surgeon and anesthetist before my surgery, I felt incredible humility that -for all my strength and ability – I was putting my life into the hands, minds, skills and intent of those responsible to assist me.

As expected, my surgery was successful, and my vulnerability is dissipating with my recovery.

The Quw’utsun River (‘the River’) and watershed touches the lives of all in the valley region through means such as being:

  • A source of drinking water,
  • An important player in food security as a home for salmon;
  • A place for recreation/solace/cultural practices; and therefore, supporting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health;
  • An important resource for income security of those whose jobs are connected with the River.

The River has been experiencing pain for some time due to reasons that are both complex and multi-factorial.

  • Hotter, drier summers have brought eleven droughts to the Cowichan Valley since 1998, with 2019 being the worst year so far.
  • A decreased snowpack has contributed to lower water levels in Cowichan Lake, which feeds the Quw’utsun River.
  • The reduced inflows to the lake are no longer adequate to provide the river flows necessary to maintain the ecological balance of the River and rich diversity of life it has supported for millennia.
  • The River, and the ecosystem it supports, are in a state of incredible vulnerability.

Just hours after I came out of surgery, the Quw’utsun River went on “life support”. Pumps have been installed to bring water from the lake to the River to keep it flowing.

The essence of the River – its life force, energy and flow – is now in our hands, minds, skills and intent.

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