| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
The Bridge River hydroelectric project diverts water from Carpenter Lake to Seton Lake, affecting flows in the Bridge River. No fisheries maintenance flow has been released since the Bridge River diversion was completed in 1960, although occasional forced and test spills have been carried out. Dependent on year and season, but most of the time, the Bridge river runs dry for about 4 km downstream of the dam, where groundwater emerges. Several small, steep, tributaries join the Bridge River and provide a flow of 0.69 m3/s by the time the Bridge meets its major tributary, the Yalakom River. At this point, the flow is increased by 4.36 m3/s on a mean annual basis. In this study the existing flow regime in the Bridge River downstream of Terzaghi Dam was evaluated by calculating the relationship between instream flow and fish habitat, standing stock, and fish production. The research hypothesis examined was that higher flows will increase abundance, and the null hypothesis was that higher flows will not increase abundance (i.e. abundance will stay the same or decrease). instream flow, low flow, aquatic habitat, dam |
