Water levels look good: Power Corp
Snow survey indicates potential return to normal at dams
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
There may now be reason for optimism about a return to normal water levels this summer.
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation completed its regular snow-pack survey around the Snare hydro system northwest of the city two weeks ago.
The survey is used to get a sense of how snowfall over the winter may impact water levels flowing through dams powering the city, Dettah, Ndilo and Behchoko.
"Snow-pack measurements at Snare, along with the influx of water that it received this winter, indicate that water levels on the Snare system will return to more normal levels this coming summer," stated power corp. spokesperson Pam Coulter in an e-mail to Yellowknifer on Thursday.
The potential good news comes after two years of droughts and low-water levels. A return to normal would mean pre-drought levels, Coulter said. Already this winter the dams have had a greater influx of water, she said.
However, a return to normal still depends on several factors, including whether there is a quick melt and the amount of rain in the spring. A quick melt is better because it provides more runoff flowing into the rivers while a slow melt tends to see moisture evaporate.
The power corp. has repeatedly stated the impact on hydro generation won't be clear until July or August.
The GNWT bailed out the power corp. with $49.7 million over two years to pay for diesel fuel to produce power at the Jackfish generating station in the city.
With increased flow already this winter, Coulter said the Crown corporation has already been using less diesel fuel at Jackfish.
"We got a lot of influx already this winter that we don't usually get, so water levels have been coming up already and we have been using less diesel," she said last week.
"We think that's great news," she said, pointing out that water levels tend to be cyclical.
In March, Yellowknifer reported that the city has seen more snow than usual this winter but the potential impact on forest fires and water flow through the dams was unclear.
The city received 12.5 cm of snow in April as of Friday. A review of Environment Canada data online shows 155.9 cm of snow has fallen in the city since the start of October.
With the forest fire season set to begin May 1, Department of Environment and Natural Resources spokesperson Judy McLinton said it is still too early to predict how the winter could impact fires.
"We are still gathering data and information and it is too early to speculate on the upcoming wildland fire season," she wrote in an e-mail last week.
