With the arrival of September it’s still uncertain whether pumps will be needed to ensure the water level in the Cowichan River will remain adequate for fish and other aquatic life.
In an update for the Cowichan Watershed Board, Domtar Environmental Manager Brian Houle says the level of Cowichan Lake is 15 centimetres higher than at the same time last year.
He says Domtar plans to put electric pumps on the Cowichan Lake weir during final week of September, but he hopes additional rain will arrive in time to delay the need to use them.
Houle says in 2023, the pumping began September 13, but the current level of the lake could delay the need for pumping until early October.
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However, he says there is still a chance the pumps will not be needed if there is adequate rainfall, and notes the weather forecast includes cloudy skies and possible rain for most of the coming two weeks.
In the meantime, the release of water from Cowichan Lake into the river will remain at 4.5 cubic metres per second.
