With BC Hydro shutting down the generating station on the Puntledge River for unplanned maintenance work, the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) will be required to pump water directly from the Puntledge River from Monday, March 7 – 10, 2016.
Withdrawing water further down the Puntledge River could have an impact on water quality. The CVRD will monitor the situation by testing water for turbidity on a continuous basis at the intake and in other parts of the water system and then reassess on Monday morning.
BC Hydro had originally planned for the annual March maintenance work to take place in mid-month, but has identified some conditions that require the work to be moved up. While BC Hydro is shut down for the turbine maintenance, the regular fish screen cleaning will also take place. The fish screen is positioned in the BC Hydro penstock at the Puntledge diversion dam, and requires up to three cleanings per year to maintain efficiency and to benefit salmon.
“The CVRD is not expecting to move to a higher stage of restrictions given the time of year,” said Koreen Gurak, CVRD’s manager of community engagement and education. “However, we’re asking residents to do their part to conserve water to ensure that flows remain as low as possible.”
To keep up-to-date with the latest water restrictions, visit www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/restrictions.
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.