BC Hydro to decommission aging facility and dam at Shuswap Falls to allow fish passage

BC Hydro announced plans to decommission the Wilsey Dam and Shuswap Falls Powerhouse, located on the Shuswap River.

Two options were considered with regard to the aging facility: refurbish it and construct a fishway channel or fully decommission the dam which was built in 1929, which represents less than 0.1% of BC Hydro’s total generating capacity.

The decision to cease operations comes after careful consideration and working closely with Indigenous groups and other stakeholders to understand their perspectives and input.

“After extensive community involvement and our own studies, we have selected decommissioning the dam and powerhouse as the best way forward to restore the river to its original channel for spawning salmon,” says Jen Walker-Larsen, community engagement advisor, BC Hydro.

Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) responded to this decision and commends BC Hydro’s choice which is, as the statement reads, “another step toward returning ntitiyx (salmon) to all parts of Syilx territory.”

The statement explains that this decision has important spiritual, cultural and economic significance.

Historically, the Syilx people would gather and fish for salmon or trout from the river at the swʕawił (Shuswap Falls) but when the dam was built in 1929, many of the fish they depended on were blocked from their upstream migration and some 30 kilometres of spawning habitat.

“This journey has been long [since the late 1990’s] with constant changes, circling around and morphing into what we are working with today. By decommissioning this dam we hope to see our social, cultural and food fishery flourish,” sayas Okanagan Indian Band chief Byron Louis.

ONA biologist, Shayla Lawrence, explains that the Nation has been involved in habitat restoration and multispecies stock assessments along the Shuswap River for years.

“Through our continued involvement on the Wilsey Fish Passage Committee we have also been part of technical and environmental feasibility studies that lay the groundwork for bringing the system back to its original state,” says Lawrence.

BC Hydro's next step will be to advance plans and to apply to the BC Utilities Commission for approval to cease operations at the facility – all of this is expected to be completed in the next 12 to 18 months.

ONA tribal chair Clarence Louie confirms that this will not only benefit the salmon populations but the entire habitat, surrounding species and ecosystems.