Climate Change in the Kootenays

In the Kootenays we have been experiencing excessive snow packs at higher elevations and extremely hot summers.  Climate scientists have told us in mid to lower elevations more precipitation as rain combined with rain-on-snow events will result in a decreased snow pack. A smaller snow pack means a larger and earlier freshet in spring, increasing flood and landslide risk followed by drought in summer. This quote from the Nelson Star summarizes the situation:

"The West Kootenay experienced record-breaking high temperatures in spring and summer 2015. By early July, wildfires burned at Nelson’s doorstep, and the city was on Stage 4 water restrictions for two months. Outside Nelson, rural residents, dependent on surface water, continued to see lower water levels in the streams they rely on for drinking water. Some residents were completely without water at times during the summer.  “If there had been a significant wildfire closer to the city, we don’t even know if the city would’ve had the water resources to fight it and keep the taps running,” said Nelson city Councillor Valerie Warmington." (April 6, 2016. Nelson Star)

As a result of concerns about climates changes in our area a group of citizens and scientists organized the first 'Water, Drought and Climate Change Forum: Hot & Bothered in the Kootenays" (Nelson, April 2016)  This forum was for community members to share their common concern and learn more about local impacts of climate change and the effects on the water we rely on. The following events were reported at the forum:

• Glaciers in the Columbia Basin are currently being measured by scientists from the University of Northern BC. These glaciers are a critical water source, a fresh water reservoir. The glaciers feed our Kootenay Lake, many small streams, creeks and aquifers, and many water systems. Sustained mass loss is the background standard, with glaciers losing mass every year.
• In 2015, Nelson was at a Stage 4 Drought Alert. The City of Nelson is currently trying to find supplementary sources of water. The Arrow Creek Treatment plant for Creston/Erickson had low water in late summer that when water was needed for agricultural irrigation, some fish bearing streams almost went dry.
• Duhamel Creek Distribution Intake was damaged in flood
• Denver Siding: multiple intakes were damaged
• Kaslo suffered a loss of water at their intake
• On June 1st, 2016, the provincial snow survey shows the West Kootenay snow/water levels at 35% of where it should be.
• Robson/ Raspberry: a 'minor' landslide compromised their new filtration system for over a month. This new water treatment system cost 3.4 million, took at least 5 years of planning, and increased residents' annual water fees to $1000.

Glade Creek is considered a 'small stream'. With this designation comes the assurance from scientists in the field that 'quality and quantity changes are forecast' for that size. Proposed logging and road building will compromise the viability of our watershed to provide us with clean, safe water. It is even more imperative now, given what we know about logging and climate changes in this area to protect our water.

Slide in Glade Watershed

The slide took out about 3 large (50') trees down the slope and narrowed the decommissioned access road even further. It is now about 30' wide.

Recent Landslide in Glade:
A substantial slide was discovered by community members April 29, 2017 and related to Kalesnikoff Lumber Company on May 5, 2017 who had been unaware of it.  This slide, located on a decommissioned access road and approximately 30’ across at the mouth, took out 50’ trees and runs right down to Glade Creek. It is situated just below proposed cut block 66-3.

This is a new event that was discovered after the professional reports came out, so it is not considered in either the professional Hydrogeomorphic or Terrain Stability report and clearly demonstrates the vulnerability and the changing face of our watershed, even today. Our position is that our watershed is one in recovery and that it needs restoration to continue to provide clean water for the community, and to weather the climate disruptions that are upon us.

Slide on decommissioned haul road. The white water of Glade creek can be seen below.

Climate Change in Glade Watershed

Columbia Basin Trust Report:
Water Monitoring and Climate Change in the Upper Columbia Basin,
Summary of Current Status and Opportunities (68p.)

---

This report is specifically for the Columbia Basin, and then further divides that area into smaller ones, giving very detailed information.  From that report, we have extrapolated information specific to the Glade Creek area.

2017-02_Trust_WaterMonitoring-ClimateChange_Web 
Columbia Basin Carver
JANUARY 2017
ourtrust.org

In particular relation to Glade Watershed and the separate Points of Diversion:

• Glade Creek watershed (GCW) is small: 29²km, well under 500²km
• Watersheds under 500²km generally have "limited floodplain development. As a result, the hillslopes can directly affect the watercourses below.  Small watersheds generally function as hydrologically responsive, integrated units."(p8)
  
• GCW has groundwater sources, including aquifers, it has treated and untreated water sources
• It has no glaciers, and Glade Creek is considered a smaller stream
• GCW is a high elevation watershed, with the H60 at 1500m (H60 = the elevation at which 60% of the watershed area is above)
• Glade is located in the ‘Lower Columbia Kootenay’ region (LCK) of the Basin, situated in the south of the Columbia basin
• It has a natural lake (Siwash) at a high elevation
• The western portion of the Basin is known as the Interior Wet Belt due to relatively greater precipitation
• GCW has existing and persistent water quality issues due to existing issues

 

---

According to the Trust Report, climate change is expected to impact Glade Creek watershed and Points of Diversion in Upper Glade by:

• Causing the most temperature variation in the Basin
• Lower Columbia Kootenay (LCK) Region is already the hottest area in the Basin, it will become hotter, more quickly
• LCK has the lowest proportion of precipitation falling as snow, under 50%.  As temperature increases, that percentage will decrease further
• Any glaciers in the south of the basin are smaller and losing their extent faster than in the north
• Although increased run-off has been predicted by some models, it does not appear that Basin streams are experiencing that – rather annual catchment runoff yields have decreased as temperature increases. 
• Winter temperatures are also increasing 

---

According to the Trust Report, the climate change impacts will result in the following to Glade Creek Watershed and the Points of Diversion in Upper Glade:

• Lower Columbia Kootenay region will experience the harshest consequences of climate disruptions
• Increased sediment supply and snow accumulation, enhanced melt rates, drainage diversion and soil compaction are likely.
• Modified flood frequencies, increased basin water yield and peak flows, altered low flows and, in some situations, destabilized channels.
• Decreased flow and potential drought during seasonal low flow periods
• Increased yield freshet, earlier
• Potential flooding, with impacts associated with that (i.e. bank erosion, channel changes etc.)
  
• As the smaller snowpack disappears faster in the higher temperatures, soil moisture levels decrease with   lower total water availability from the snowpack during warmer months and, reduced low-flow levels in summer and fall, and potential drought.

---

• Over time, changes in the climate are reflected in the forest, which changes, in part, in response to differences in the timing of snowpack disappearance.
  
• The low flows in smaller and lower-elevation watersheds and in watersheds without glaciers are especially vulnerable to warming because a greater proportion of precipitation is received as rain and does not go into storage as snow for subsequent melt during the late summer and early fall when stream flows are low.
• Global Climate Models show that summer precipitation is projected to decline, which would intensify the decline in low flows.
• Despite projected increases in winter precipitation, this is not expected to compensate for these various declines (Hirose and Marshall 2013).
• “Most future climate scenarios project increases in annual precipitation and rates of evaporation, reductions in snowpack and earlier spring snowmelt. On average, such changes would result in earlier and potentially larger peak flows, and reduced low flows, where the magnitude and timing of these changes will vary by watershed. There is also likely to be an increase in the frequency of extreme events such as high-intensity precipitation and extended droughts.” (p47)
• “Under projected climates, water quality concerns are expected to accelerate in magnitude and introduce new challenges. Many of these water quality effects will be an indirect byproduct of changing hydrology.”(p52)

---

spring in Glade forest. HMcS

According to the Trust Report, there are extensive gaps that exist in water monitoring in the Basin, as it pertains to Glade Creek and our Point of Diversion:

• Almost no monitoring data exists for high elevation water
• Data collection/ monitoring has declined over the past two decades
• Current data collection sites are a fraction of what could exist in the Basin, and are not located in sites that would give the best information about climate impacts on water sources
• Most aquifers remain unmapped
• High elevation and small watersheds are not well represented in water monitoring
• Monitoring on small streams have been reduced
• Past data has been poorly archived and current data is not available to the public
• Monitoring has been done by government in support of forestry activities
• Little long term understanding of groundwater

---