The water has started to flow through the Skins Lake Spillway in an effort to make room in the Kenney dam for increased spring run off.

The District of Vanderhoof has issued a public notice saying Alcan has increased the flow from the Skins Lake Spillway from 48 cubic metres per second to 125 cubic metres per second.

The District of Vanderhoof is advising people in low lying areas to start moving items to higher ground and make possible evacuation plans for themselves, their families and in the case of farmers, their livestock.

The water flow was increased yesterday.

As reported on Opinion 250 ( see previous story), Alcan is not able to reduce the levels in the reservoir by running the flow through its Kemano turbine generators because they are not operating. They were shut down when an avalanche took out the hydro transmission line between Kemano and Kitimat. Repairs to the line could take months.

In the meantime, the snow pack accumulation is at, or near, historical maximum levels in the Nechako  and Nautley watersheds. Flows to the Nechako reservoir are expected to be 142% of normal.

The District of Vanderhoof is advising caution be taken by anyone in the vicinity of water bodies in the Cheslatta Watershed including :

• Skins Lake,
• Cheslatta Lake,
• Murray Lake, and
•  the Nechako River. Ice conditions on the lakes and rivers will be unsafe, and the flow in the river could change without warning.

The District of Vanderhoof and Alcan will be holding a public meeting in Vanderhoof at 7 p.m. on the 11^th of April at the Friendship Center in Vanderhoof. Alcan will hold a meeting on the 10^th at the Wisteria Hall on the southside. That meeting is also slated to start at 7 p.m.

The District'sa public notice advises people do some flood proofing “ At this time, residents and businesses in low-lying areas and in areas which have experienced flooding in the past, are strongly encouraged to take steps to flood proof their structures, including moving valuable items to higher ground”

The notice from the District goes on to say sandbags have been stockpiled and will be “deployed to at-risk areas as needed. People should know the hazards in their area to ensure they have a plan in place to deal with their families and, in the case of farmers, their livestock.”