An Investigation into the Feasibility of Modifying Derelict Dams to Improve Salmon Productivity in the Kloiya River and Rainbow Lake watershed

Skeena Fisheries Commission (SFC), in partnership with the Lax Kw’alaams Fisheries Program conducted a feasibility assessment to determine whether salmon productivity in the Kloiya River and Rainbow Lake watersheds could be improved by modifying a series of derelict dams that were initially installed in the 1950s and 1960s to supply freshwater to the Skeena Cellulose (formerly Columbia Cellulose) pulp mill on Watson Island.

The objectives in conducting this study were to determine whether dam infrastructure related to the Columbia/Skeena Cellulose pulp mill have negatively affected salmon populations in the Rainbow Lake and Kloiya River watersheds, and whether modifications to the existing dam system could improve fish passage and fish productivity in either system.