Nechako Freezes Over Below Warm Water Outlet

By 250 News

Nechako  River   as it meets the Fraser, is frozen over.  (photo opinion250 staff)        

Prince George, B.C. - The City of Prince George now says that it’s okay if a layer of ice forms on the Nechako below where the warm water release is taking place. City Clerk Don Schaffer says a thin layer of ice has formed and is a normal winter freeze over, the river water is flowing through under the ice.

The Nechako River has frozen over about 500 meters downstream of where the warm water enters the river and that ice extends about one half of a kilometer into the Fraser.

On January 8^th, 2008 Ice Expert Paul Doyle told a news conference that putting in the warm water from the pulp mill was the safest option. “ Where it could melt the ice and cut a new channel”.

Again on January 13^th the engineers said the warm water would cut a channel into the ice jam and create a channel into the Fraser.

On January 22^nd-2008, a media conference was told that the warm water would open up a channel into the Fraser and maintain that channel until spring.

On January 30^th-2008 Mayor Kinsley said, “the warm water should make a major impact on keeping the channel open and eroding the ice that is existing there”.

On Janauary30th -2008, Kevin Brown said the warm water is expected to keep the channel open until spring, providing an outlet for ice shifts and water surges that occur further upstream.

Above were the warm water is entering ,  the Nechako remains open to the flat section above Wilson Park after Paul Laplante of Eco Technologies cut open the jam that existed near Delhaven Plc. Residents of Delhaven say that as Laplante’s crew was working with the Amphibex near the Old Cameron St Bridge the ice gave way and the ice all went downstream . As one resident said Monday "It definitely was his equipment that got rid of the jam here."

As of Monday afternoon the only channel open to near the confluence of the Fraser was a small section open on the south bank of the Nechako which formed during the flood as water spilled through Cottonwood Island Park. That open water does not have any warm water entering  it from the cities new warm water release system.

The line being taken  by the City  is different from the Media conferences that were held earlier , the City now says that the ice forming over the entrance to the Fraser was expected and it is a thin layer that is creating no problems. They were unable to inform us how thick the new ice is ,  or how that measurement was taken .

The city spent $400,000 constructing a pipe line for the warm water to reach the Nechako and is spending about $2600 dollars a day to maintain the system.  That price is associated with  heating the water using wood waste, if natural gas  is used the price is much higher.

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