The Similkameen River is on the list and is endangered due to a proposal by Fortis to build the Canyon Dam located fifteen kilometers south of Princeton. The size of the Canyon Dam would be significant with a reservoir up to 35 kilometers long. Its construction is estimated to destroy the canyon’s ecosystem which has significant wildlife values while also supporting various fish species including rainbow trout, whitefish and dolly varden. The dam would inundate about 800 hectares.

Source: Mark Angelo, Rivers Chair for the Outdoor Recreation Council (ORC) of British Columbia.

From a recreational perspective, this part of the Similkameen is nationally renowned as a paddling destination and is a striking and very beautiful part of river,. The dam would have significant adverse impacts from an environmental and recreational perspective.

Pennask Creek, between Merritt and Peachland, also makes the list. This creek, which is among the world’s richest and most productive trout streams, is the cornerstone of BC’s lake stocking program. “This creek is threatened by acid run-off stemming from pyrite-bearing waste rock that was exposed during construction of the Okanagan highway connector”, said Angelo. “While the province, to its credit, has spent significant funds trying to remedy the impacts, there remains a need for a more permanent, long term solution and plan”, he added.

More on Similkameen River

The Similkameen River is one of the few remaining undammed and otherwise uncompromised rivers in the Southern Interior of BC. It has been under threat for many years from the plans of parties both in BC and Washington State. In 1955 the International Joint Commission studied the power potential of the river. In 1990 a feasibility study for generation in the canyon made by Stewart-EBA Consulting for West Kootenay concluded positively.

In 2008 the Okanogan Public Utility District in Washington State proposed a dam at Shankers Bend in the US that would have flooded as far upstream as Cawston. This proposal was withdrawn after concerted opposition in BC and US.

In 2009 the Similkameen River International Steering Committee, which included local government representatives and Fortis BC, commissioned Hatch Energy to make a study of the Similkameen watershed. Their report concluded that a 200 metre high dam with a 66 MW power plant in the canyon was feasible. The reservoir created would stretch 35 kms upstream to the foot of Similkameen Falls near the Eastgate entrance to Manning Provincial Park. It is this study which led Fortis BC in 2013 to request access to Crown lands in the canyon to further their studies of the project.

There are many issues at stake from this project. The Similkameen has two beautiful canyons stretching from Similkameen Falls to Princeton, essentially the entire section that would be lost to the dam and resulting changes. The Similkameen Canyon is well known to paddlers of all difficulty levels as it varies from Class III+ to V+, depending on river levels. It is a stretch regularly visited by members of the Vancouver Kayak Club and paddlers from the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan and Washington State.
The area proposed for the dam and reservoir also has extremely high wildlife and habitat values. The river and its adjacent cliffs and forests provide the critical life-sustaining requirements for many small and large mammals, including mule deer, elk, moose, mountain goat, black bear, California bighorn sheep, cougar, lynx, bobcat, coyote, pine marten, mink, red squirrel, golden -mantled and Columbia ground squirrel, yellow-pine chipmunk, long-tailed weasel and four species of bats.
Among the Red and Blue Listed bird species found in this area are white-throated swift, Lewis’s woodpecker, white-headed woodpecker, canyon wren and flammulated owl. The area also supports a number of reptile and amphibian species including the Red-listed tiger salamander. The Similkameen supports abundant populations of rainbow trout and mountain whitefish.

The Similkameen’s warm summer water makes it a favourite for picnics and swimming, especially at Bromley Rock Provincial Park. Whether this river is used by kayakers, naturalists or swimmers, it would be truly a shame to lose this recreational treasure.

However the issues go beyond recreation. Fortis BC has not declared whether the power output would be used for its customers, or sold on the open market.