Big Bar landslide response information bulletin
December 6 2021
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Big Bar operation recovers from recent storms
The Big Bar landslide response team continues to assess the impacts of the severe weather experienced in November.
As the significant rainfall and resulting high water levels occurred south of Big Bar, there was little increase in river flows at the slide site. However, the floodwaters displaced the Big Bar equipment stored at DFO’s Spius Creek hatchery near Merritt. All of the large pieces of gear have been located, and plans for its recovery are underway by DFO’s Salmonid Enhancement Program and engineering staff, in collaboration with First Nations partners. Any additional activities undertaken by the response team will be shared through future information bulletins.
The Chinook and sockeye eggs being held for enhancement at various First Nations, community partners and DFO facilities have not been impacted by the floods and remain in good health.
Long-term planning update
The Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFFCA), on behalf of the Big Bar Joint Executive Steering Committee, is in the process of hiring a third-party consultant to lead the first phase of the structured analysis approach.
To better understand the fish passage challenges at Big Bar, the consultant will focus on:
- drawing from existing studies, reports and analyses
- incorporating new incoming data
- identifying additional information for collection
- seeking expert views, opinions and advice from subject matter experts, including Indigenous partners and stakeholders
This approach will support the joint decision-making process critical to identifying a long-term fish passage solution at Big Bar.
In the short term, technical working groups have reconvened to review the 2021 Big Bar operations and develop plans for the 2022 “trap and transport”, monitoring and enhancement activities. Members of these groups include DFO and Indigenous technical experts.
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