Rio Tinto BC Works said they are addressing the impacts of drought in the Skins Lake Spillway, also known as Ootsa Lake and the Nechako River.
鈥淩io Tinto BC Works is actively addressing the ongoing impacts of drought on our operations by proactive generation reduction and working with BC Hydro to ensure residents and businesses in the region receive the power they need when they need it,鈥� Vanessa Damha, Rio Tinto media relations manager and spokesperson, said,
As of Feb. 29, Skins Lake Spillway water flow discharge stands at 32 cubic meters per second, a normal discharge for winter months and within regulatory requirements. She said that the reservoir is currently 30 per cent full, lower than average for this time of year, compared to 47 percent last year.
According to Rio Tinto鈥檚 reservoir water flow facts, the last recorded data state that the discharge rates were approximate due to current ice effects in the Skins Lake Spillway. Their record also states that the reservoir level decreased in the past seven days from 2790.01 feet to 2789.79 feet, with twenty-seven millimetres of precipitation recorded and approximately zero to five millimetres of anticipated precipitation over the next seven days.
Currently, the water inflows in the reservoir was the lowest on record since last spring, summer, fall, and winter.
鈥淲hile the reservoir level is low, it is not the lowest on record. Reservoir level will continue to trend down until snow melts,鈥� Damha said.
鈥淎s this year marks one of the driest on record, we are proactively managing the spillway to respect environmental flows.鈥�
She added that no official project is currently underway, but discussions about dredging the narrows have arisen during the water engagement initiative and other community engagements. Additionally, Rio Tinto will regulate minimum water flows, and summer temperature monitoring program in the Nechako River.
The Nechako River鈥檚 temperature levels are monitored in the summer to manage water levels from the Skins Lake Spillway. The summer temperature monitoring program protects migrating Chinook salmon from harmful water temperatures.
