Those with concerns about water-use strategies for the Cheakamus River have a last chance next week to provide input to Land and Water B.C. (LWBC) before officials decide whether to adopt a water-use plan put forward by B.C. Hydro.
A meeting for those interested in fisheries to provide input on the proposed Cheakamus River Water Use Plan is scheduled on Wednesday (July 6) from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Sea to Sky Hotel.
Anglers and environmentalists have expressed concern about the potential for a reduction in flows coming into the river from the Daisy Lake Dam to harm fish stocks and the river's ecosystem.
B.C. Hydro's current regime stipulates that 45 per cent of the water coming into Daisy Lake is to be released into the river, with the remaining flow going through an underground aqueduct and into the Squamish River.
That results in between 35 and 70 cubic metres of water being released into the Cheakamus River every second, with the remaining flow going through an underground aqueduct and into the Squamish River.
The plan submitted last year by B.C. Hydro would allow officials to release as little as seven cubic metres per second, which anglers and environmentalists say is too little to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
Anglers are concerned about the future of the Cheakamus River's steelhead, coho and pink salmon stocks.
Next Wednesday's meeting is meant "to provide an opportunity for agencies to respond to the concerns raised by stakeholders with an interest in the fishery, to clarify the rationale and approach for establishing the fisheries objectives under the Water Use Plan," according to a letter from Pieter Bekker, LWBC's deputy comptroller of water rights.
