British Columbia's prolonged drought risks damaging the salmon population for generations and has led to a series of emergency, rapidly deployed projects in an effort to intervene. In the Comox Valley, aerators have been installed in the Tsolum River to maximize salmon survival by increasing dissolved oxygen levels, and work has started at the mouth of the Tranquille River to re-establish water flow between the upper and lower sections so salmon can migrate upstream to their spawning grounds. More than 80 per cent of the province is at Level 4 or 5 drought conditions, the highest possible rankings, after months of little or no rain.
"I've seen some way bigger than that, like a baby lobster."
Debris torrents and blockages, possibly triggered by a rainstorm high in the watershed, caused Mill Creek to overflow, flooding homes and streets.
Flooding in the B.C. Interior from rapidly melting snowpacks has washed out roads and properties, prompted local states of emergencies, and caused more people to leave their homes in Oliver.
The Okanagan Indian Band is advising residents to not enter or consume water from the north arm of Okanagan Lake until further notice due to a toxic algae bloom.
Kelowna mayor warns residents to prepare for unprecedented flooding tonight 'As a community, we need to come together and look after each other,' mayor says
British Columbia’s Okanagan region is bracing for a storm that Kelowna’s mayor worries could unleash the worst flooding the region has ever seen.
With warmer temperatures in the forecast, the province has issued a high streamflow warning for streams and rivers across the Interior. Currently, Nicola Lake is about one metre below the minor flooding point, and it's forecast to continue climbing over the next 30 days.
"For our grandchildren and their children, now the devastation has left them nothing": Shackan First Nation Chief Arnold Lampreau.
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