A wetter-than-normal fall has BC Hydro warning the public to stay away from wildly fluctuating river systems around Campbell River and the Comox Valley – but that hasn’t stopped some daredevils from jumping in.
BC Hydro said over a 30-hour period from Tuesday to Wednesday, 160 millimetres of rain fell in the upper Puntledge River watershed, and there’s more to come this weekend and early next week.
As a result, the company has issued an update warning people to stay away from the Puntledge and other mid-island rivers over fears they could overflow.
Reservoirs have been holding back some of the water flow to avoid localized flooding, but BC Hydro says it can’t suppress it any longer.
“We continue to have closed coordination and awareness with Comox Valley emergency response leaders,” BC Hydro said. “We are very concerned about the forecast and the positioning of a now full reservoir. The lower river through the City of Courtenay will remain very high and likely have some isolated flooding through today and potentially into next week.”
The company has released some water, which has drawn extra attention from kayakers to the fast-rising Puntledge River this week.
One kayaker has posted a GoPro video of his wild ride down the Upper Puntledge, made even more daring by the increased water levels.
David Prothero of the Vancouver Island Whitewater Paddling Society says he and others have been taking advantage of the river amid the surge of precipitation.
“We do assessments at the bank. If the river’s too high, then maybe we head somewhere else and go to a different river,” he said. “Right now, for very experienced groups of paddlers, the rivers are very exciting. They’re very fast, but they’re closer to floods so you have to be really cautious for wood and other hazards.”
A BC Hydro spokesman said he was aware that some kayakers have been hitting the river this week, and he reminded them to take extreme caution due to wildly fluctuating river flows.
“We know that kayakers can take advantage of these flows. These are expert kayakers, and there are certain sections of the river they want to paddle, but at these flow rates it’s getting pretty extreme so certainly we advise people to be cautious,” said Steven Watson.
Watson said Elk Falls in Campbell River are overflowing at a capacity far higher than normal as the company tries its best to manage water levels coming into the river system.
“The base flow here at Elk Falls year-round is about four cubic metres per second, and right now it’s 120, so it’s a big increase,” he said.
It’s also the case along the Courtenay River where levels have now reached the roadway, prompting the city to redeploy their inflatable aqua dam to stem the rising water.
Water levels have also risen along some streets and into Lewis Park, where two people could be seen venturing in by boat Thursday.
BC Hydro said it would likely provide another river update on Friday.
Two men take a boat ride in Courtenay's Lewis Park after localized flooding turned the park into a mini-lake. Nov. 3, 2016. (CTV Vancouver Island)
