West Kootenay welcomes rain as basin runoff remains below normal
Published 12:42 pm Friday, September 25, 2026
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Rain returned to Trail on Friday as the Columbia Basin heads into fall with runoff remaining below normal across much of the watershed.
BC Hydro’s latest Lower Columbia Reservoir Update, issued Sept. 25, puts April-to-September runoff at 95 per cent of normal in the Canadian portion of the Columbia Basin and 83 per cent of normal across the entire basin as measured at The Dalles, Oregon.
For comparison, observed runoff during the same period in 2025 was considerably lower, at 79 per cent of normal in Canada and 77 per cent across the entire basin.
The Dalles is an important measuring point because it is downstream of most of the Columbia Basin and provides a broad indication of water supply across the system.
Despite the below-normal seasonal runoff, Arrow Lakes Reservoir gained some water over the past week.
Arrow Lakes stood at about 436 metres (1,430 feet) on Sept. 25 at the Fauquier gauge.
BC Hydro says the reservoir refilled by 0.28 metres, or 0.9 feet, during the previous week.
The reservoir is expected to remain relatively steady over the coming week, slipping about 0.1 metres by Oct. 2.
BC Hydro is forecasting Arrow Lakes to reach about 436 metres, or 1,431 feet, by the end of October.
Arrow Lakes reached its 2026 maximum of about 438 metres, or 1,435 feet, on July 25, about nine feet below full pool.
Its minimum this year was about 425 metres, or 1,396 feet, on Feb. 27.
Duncan Reservoir, located north of Kootenay Lake along the Duncan River near Meadow Creek, stood at about 573 metres (1,879 feet) on Sept. 25.
Unlike Arrow Lakes, Duncan has been declining. BC Hydro says the reservoir dropped 1.16 metres, or 3.8 feet, over the past week and is forecast to reach about 572 metres, or 1,876 feet, by the end of October.
Kootenay Lake, meanwhile, is expected to remain essentially unchanged over the next week at about 531 metres, or 1,743 feet.
The navigation lock at Hugh L. Keenleyside Dam also remains closed to the public for the season because of a mechanical issue with the gate.
BC Hydro says it is working on a repair solution and has implemented enhanced monitoring and operational changes to manage risk.
Interfor continues to move logs through the lock under modified procedures to minimize impacts on local mill operations.
BC Hydro says reservoir elevations are influenced by weather patterns, electricity demand and other factors, and cautions that forecasts can change as conditions evolve.