Residents stroll riverbed in Prince George amid drought

Waterin theFraser Riverwhere it meets with the Nechako itself not much more than a trickle in some spots is at an all-time low, according to the River Forecast Centre.

It's a dramatic reflection of drought in Prince George,and of the dry conditions that have plagued much of the province since the summer of 2023 in whatB.C.'s emergency minister has called "a sleeping giant of a natural disaster."

The riverbed hasalso created an impromptu park for adults, kids and pets to explore the sand and rock normally buried under rushing water.

"This is sad and great at the same time," said Prince George resident GeorgeSoares,as he walked along Goat Island, a small hill typically surrounded by waters from the Fraser Riverwhich, right now, is completelydry land.

"I've never seen it this low before."

"It's terrifying to see the river almost completely gone,"John Grove, another resident, said.

"To be able to walk all around is just insane to me.... I would love to see more of a river here."

The area they are walking is near the CN Rail Bridge,built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1914,which still has the ability to open to allow shipping vessels and sternwheelers to pass through, although there hasn't been a need in decades.

It's also on the land of theLheidli T'enneh, a First Nation whose name means "people of the confluence" a reflection of the importance the joining of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers have had to the nation and the region for centuries.

Spring is when the city typicallybraces for flooding, as a melting snowpacksends water levels surging along the rivers but this year, thatis not going to be a concern for residents, says hydrologist Jonathan Boyd with theRiver Forecast Centre.

"The likelihood of any flooding this year [in Prince George] isvery low if not just almost zerobecause of how low [the water level]is," he told CBC News.

With snowpack levels44 per cent below normal in theUpper Fraser River Basin, which includes Prince George, Boyd says he fears drought could worsen this year.

Currently, the basinhas been experiencing drought levelfouron a five-point scale, where ecosystem or socio-economic impacts arelikelyto occur.

Water levels also low at Nechako Reservoir

In an email to CBC News, mining giant Rio Tinto which manages the Nechako watershed through reservoir operations, and diverts water to power its aluminum smelter confirmed the reservoir is at an all-time low, operating at about 24 per cent of capacity.

"[We] areactively addressing the ongoing impacts of drought on our operations by proactive generation reduction and working with B.C. Hydro to ensure residents and businesses in the region receive the power they need when they need," the statement reads.

The 233-kilometre-long NechakoReservoir typically contributes about half of the annual dischargein the Nechako River in Prince George, says StephenDry,environmental science professor at University of Northern B.C., and Rio Tinto senior industrial research chair on climate change and water security.

Boyd, with the River Forecast Centre, says reservoirsplay an important role in responding to naturaldisasterslikeflood and drought.

"If we ever were to end up in a situation where we had very high snow and a rapid melt, the reservoir can actually hold water back andprevent catastrophicflooding," he said, adding that during prolonged dry spells,additional water is typically released from reservoirs into the rivers.

Drysays "with the reservoir being so low, we cannot foresee waterbeing essentiallyreleased into[the river duringspring]."

He blames climate changefor the unprecedented drought conditions.

"I think it's an emerging pattern associated with climate change and a combination of factors," he said.

"We had El Nio, that was quite prominent. The sea surface temperature in the tropical Pacific Ocean were above average for the last two years,... whichhave led to very warm temperatures and the ongoing drought."

He adds that El Nio is now on its way out, and "near-neutralEl Nio conditions" can be expected.

"We might actually see average precipitation this summer, perhaps above average coming into the fall and winter."