BC Hydro opened the spillway at the Revelstoke Dam on the weekend, and Jayne Dewar was there to capture the spectacle on video.
The water was released to maintain a minimum flow of 5,000 cubic feet per second through the dam to benefit fish downstream, explained BC Hydro spokesperson Jen Walker-Larsen.
Larsen that these small spills are not predictable and happen periodically to maintain minimum flows during low demand periods.
“Revelstoke Dam is required to keep discharge flows at least 5,000 cubic feet per second at all times. It is a requirement to benefit fish and fish habitat under the Columbia River Water Use Plan,” she wrote in an e-mail. “We do provide advance notice to the public of higher volume spill releases. These are possible during high water conditions we last saw in 2012.”