River Ice Observation Report River Forecast Centre April 10, 2014

2013 – 2014 Report No. 31

An observation flight located the Peace River ice front at km 273.1 (22 km upstream of Dunvegan) this morning. This is approximately 100 km further upstream than the average position. It has been receding at a rate of approximately 8 km a day for the last 6 days. The jam at the mouth of the Little released last night into the Smoky River ice cover. A localized ice run pushed through to yesterday evening. The Smoky River ice cover downstream of the River has deteriorated into a repeating series of short stretches of intact ice, open water and small ice accumulations. A small accumulation of ice has backed up against the more intact ice cover at the mouth of the Smoky River, but has not affected the Peace River ice cover. Water levels have remained low, even during periods of high snowmelt runoff and ice movement. The ice cover on the lower Smoky River is expected to continue to melt and erode over the course of the day.

A contributed observation reported moving ice on the Heart River near Nampa this afternoon. This is expected to pass through the Town of Peace River later this afternoon. The channel through Town is free of ice.

Temperatures are forecasted to cool to below the seasonal average for the next several days. This is expected to slow the recession of the Peace River ice front.

The flood protection dyke in downtown Peace River was repaired last night, following the intentional breach to lower water levels in the downtown core on Tuesday night. Based on an assessment of current conditions and the forecasted cool temperatures over the next several days, BC Hydro will return to normal operation of the Peace Canyon Dam later today.

The next observation flight is scheduled for tomorrow morning, and will focus on the Smoky River basin.

Onsite operations continue. Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, BC Hydro, and the Town of Peace River are in close contact regarding river ice conditions and operation of the BC Hydro Peace River facilities.

Observation Details

Wednesday, April 9 – ground observations, evening (BC Hydro and ESRD)

Smoky River o km 64.1(Hwy 49 bridge at Watino) – Movement of the ice cover at the Hwy 49 bridge. This was observed to stop after several minutes, resulting in the formation of a short ice jam.

Media inquiries may be directed to: Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Communications Division 780-427-8636 For toll-free access outside Edmonton, please dial 780-310-0000.

Thursday, April 10 – aerial observation flight, morning

Peace River o km 273.1 – Ice front located at 09:35 MST. Approximately 20% of the channel width is open water. o km 273.1 to 326 – Intact ice cover with intermittent dark spots and few short open leads. Inflows from tributaries appear to be minimal. The appearance of the ice cover varies with some locations darker in color than others. o km 326 – Burnt River was the most active tributary and discharged water and ice onto the surface of the Peace River. An open lead has developed at this location. o km 326 to 380 – Intact ice cover, with less open leads and a more white/blue hue to the color of the ice. o km 380 – End of observation flight.

Smoky River o km 0 to 1.5 – Ice cover intact, some surface water present at km 0. o Km 1.5 to 1.7 – Small accumulation of ice. o Km 1.7 to 46 – Throughout this stretch is a repeating pattern of short distances (few km) of intact ice, followed by a short distance (usually less than 1 km, longest is 3 km) of ice accumulation, followed by a short distance of open water. o Km 46 to 50 – Ice cover is more intact, with flowing water along the banks of the channel and some ponded water present on the surface. o Km 50 to 62.5 – Primarily open channel (ice-free), with short sections of deteriorated ice remaining in place. o Km 62.5 to 64.3 – Short ice jam o Km 64.3 to 76 – Channel is free of ice. o Km 76 to 90 – Ice cover more intact than downstream of the Little Smoky River (km 75). Some areas of ponded water on the surface of the ice, and several small open leads. Ice cover appears to be more intact and has a white/blue color.

Thursday, April 10 – contributed observations from the Water Survey of .

Heart River o Ice run on the Heart River in Nampa. Water levels rose 0.5 m at the gauge and have since fallen.

The next observation report will be posted on or before Friday, April 9th, 2014.

Technical difficulty has prevented an interactive map with photos from being posted online. In the interim, photos will be included as part of this report.

Ice front on the Peace River located at km 273.1 (22 km upstream of Dunvegan) at 9:35 MST on April 10, 2014.

. Looking downstream at the ice front, and the eroded remnant ice left behind (km 271).

Looking downstream at the Hwy 2 bridge at Dunvegan (km 296). The open pocket downstream of the bridge has been in place throughout the winter.

Looking upstream at the intact ice in the confluence of the Peace (right) and Smoky (left) Rivers. The direction of flow is from right to left.

Looking downstream at a stalled breakup on the Smoky River 3.5 km upstream from the Peace River (BC Hydro photo).

Typical ice conditions on the Smoky River downstream of the Little Smoky River. Direction of flow is from top to bottom (km 13).

Typical ice conditions on the Smoky River downstream of the Little Smoky River. Direction of flow is from top to bottom (km 62).

Short ice jam on the Smoky River (km 64.3 to 62.5), located downstream of the Hwy 49 bridge at Watino.

Confluence of the Smoky (direction of flow from right to left) and Little Smoky (direction of flow from top to bottom. The ice jam located here yesterday has pushed further downstream.

Typical ice condition on the Smoky River upstream of the Little Smoky River (km 85). Ice is less deteriorated, and has a white/blue color.

Temperature Forecast

The following table contains Environment Canada’s observed and forecasted daily maximum and minimum temperatures through to Wednesday, April 16th.

Location Day Date High Level Peace River Fort St. John Yesterday 9 April 12.0/-1.7 12.8/ 2.6 8.7 / 1.7 Daytime Overnight Daytime Overnight Daytime Overnight Today 10 April 7 -7 8 -1 10 2 Tomorrow 11 April 5 -12 -4 -4 -6 -6 Saturday 12 April -2 -15 1 -12 2 -11 Sunday 13 April 2 -14 2 -9 5 -8 Monday 14 April 7 -8 9 -4 10 -1 Tuesday 15 April 9 -6 11 -3 9 -3 Wednesday 16 April 10 -5 11 -6 11 -1

Average Max/Min for 8 / -6 9 / -3 9 / -2 13 January