$176M permanent salmon fishway at Big Bar landslide delayed: DFO
Construction of a $176 million permanent fishway to help salmon populations get past the Big Bar landslide will be delayed, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The landslide in B.C.’s Southern Interior is believed to have happened in late October or early November 2018, but it wasn't discovered until June 2019.
The incident created a five-metre waterfall that's preventing many fish from swimming upstream to spawn. Work on site has been ongoing ever since.
In a technical briefing Wednesday morning, landslide response director Gwil Roberts said there had been delays at the site during the winter. Extreme cold weather meant crews had less time to prepare for installation of the permanent system.
“Then we had a freeze-thaw period where we had very quick changes, -10 degrees celsius overnight and then +10 during the day,” Roberts said. “That created some instability on the slope where teams were preparing the bed for the fishway.”
As a result, Roberts said the fishway “will not be installed by May 2022 as planned.”
The pricey project was announced in December, with the department saying work would “begin immediately to take advantage of low river levels in winter.”
Fisheries officials say they expect thousands of migrating salmon to still be able to pass through the site this year thanks to temporary structural changes, including a “nature-like” fishway.
Michael Crowe with Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the fishway is “performing as hoped" and chinook salmon are able to make it through the slide zone without many problems. Though early arrivals of sockeye salmon remain vulnerable in high waters.
Work will also continue this year to transport fish via truck around the slide zone, while the tube system, or “salmon cannon” will not be used. Roberts said it was not technically feasible.
“When we did a cost benefit analysis of that system, it did not make sense so we decided to focus on our truck and transport system this year,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.