By Cheryl Jahn

“Exceptionally low” to describe water levels

Apr 11, 2023 | 4:05 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – If you’ve driven alongside either of the rivers that converge in this city, you may have noticed the river levels are remarkably low.

“Yeah, it is actually quite low, if not exceptionally low,” says Stephen Dery with the Environmental Sciences at UNBC. “And many of the rivers in northern British Columbia. And the reason for that, I believe, is because we had such a dry late summer and then into the fall, we had extended sunshine and very dry conditions. And so our river levels have diminished over the winter and now snowmelt has not really kicked in.”

Stephen Dery says the Nechako River levels are at one-tenth of what we would expect right now. And the Fraser River is in no better condition.

“The water levels on the Fraser right now are at historical lows. So we are watching them carefully. The snowpack is at about average, so we’re not expecting to see a tremendous amount of river rise, although it will, of course, rise as the snow comes up.” says Tanya Spooner, the Manager of Emergency Programs for the City of Prince George.

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So when the snowpack begins to melt, the hope is the rivers will get closer to where they need to be. It is a strange season for Prince George where the risk of flooding and wildfires often coincide. But one is more likely this year than the other.

“I don’t think we’ll have flooding this year. That’s the good thing about, you know, having normal snowpack. But the concern may be later on this summer. Obviously, now El Nino conditions are developing in the Tropical Pacific Ocean. That might mean a hot, dry summer for northern British Columbia. We’ll have to see how things unfold there. But so far, we might expect perhaps lower than average water levels in our lakes, rivers and northern British Columbia this summer and else.”

And that could lead to a higher risk of wildfires in the region.