Water┬аin the┬аFraser River┬аwhere it meets with the Nechako тАФ┬аitself not much more than a trickle in some spots тАФ┬аis at an all-time low, according to the River Forecast Centre.
It’s a dramatic reflection of drought in Prince George,┬аand of the dry conditions that have plagued much of the province since the summer of 2023 in what┬аB.C.’s emergency minister has called “a sleeping giant of a natural disaster.”
The riverbed has┬аalso created an impromptu park for adults, kids and pets to explore the sand and rock normally buried under rushing water.
“This is sad and great at the same time,” said Prince George resident George┬аSoares,┬аas he walked along Goat Island, a small hill typically surrounded by waters from the Fraser River┬аwhich, right now, is completely┬аdry land.
“I’ve never seen it this low before.”
“It’s terrifying to see the river almost completely gone,”┬аJohn Grove, another resident, said.
“To be able to walk all around is just insane to me…. I would love to see more of a river here.”
The area they are walking is near the CN Rail Bridge,┬аbuilt by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1914,┬аwhich still has the ability to open to allow shipping vessels and sternwheelers to pass through, although there hasn’t been a need in decades.
It’s also on the land of the┬аLheidli T’enneh, a First Nation whose name means “people of the confluence” тАФ a reflection of the importance the joining of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers have had to the nation and the region for centuries.
Spring is when the city typically┬аbraces for flooding, as a melting snowpack┬аsends water levels surging along the rivers┬атАФ but this year, that┬аis not going to be a concern for residents, says hydrologist Jonathan Boyd with the┬аRiver Forecast Centre.
“The likelihood of any flooding this year [in Prince George] is┬аvery low if not just almost zero┬аbecause of how low [the water level]┬аis,” he told CBC News.
With snowpack levels┬а44 per cent below normal in the┬аUpper Fraser River Basin, which includes Prince George, Boyd says he fears drought could worsen this year.
Currently, the basin┬аhas been experiencing drought level┬аfour┬аon a five-point scale, where ecosystem or socio-economic impacts are┬аlikely┬аto occur.
Water levels also low at Nechako Reservoir
In an email to CBC News, mining giant Rio Tinto┬атАФ which manages the Nechako watershed through reservoir operations, and diverts water to power its aluminum smelter тАФ┬аconfirmed the reservoir is at an all-time low, operating at about 24 per cent of capacity.
“[We] are┬аactively addressing the ongoing impacts of drought on our operations by proactive generation reduction and working with B.C. Hydro to ensure residents and businesses in the region receive the power they need when they need,” the statement reads.
The 233-kilometre-long Nechako┬аReservoir typically contributes about half of the annual discharge┬аin the Nechako River in Prince George, says Stephen┬аD├йry,┬аenvironmental science professor at University of Northern B.C., and Rio Tinto senior industrial research chair on climate change and water security.
Boyd, with the River Forecast Centre, says reservoirs┬аplay an important role in responding to natural┬аdisasters┬аlike┬аflood and drought.
“If we ever were to end up in a situation where we had very high snow and a rapid melt, the reservoir can actually hold water back and and prevent catastrophic┬аflooding,” he said, adding that during prolonged dry spells,┬аadditional water is typically released from reservoirs into the rivers.
D├йry┬аsays “with the reservoir being so low, we cannot foresee water┬аbeing essentially┬аreleased into┬а[the river during┬аspring].”
He blames climate change┬аfor the unprecedented drought conditions.
“I think it’s an emerging pattern associated with climate change and a combination of factors,” he said.
“We had El Ni├▒o that was quite prominent. The sea surface temperature in the tropical Pacific Ocean were above average for the last two years,… which┬аhave led to very warm temperatures and the ongoing drought.”
He adds that El Ni├▒o is now on its way out, and “near-neutral┬аEl Ni├▒o conditions” can be expected.
“We might actually see average precipitation this summer, perhaps above average coming into the fall and winter.”
