Stave River Water Use Plan
The Water Use Plan (WUP) for Stave River (includes the Stave Falls and Ruskin facilities) was completed in 2003 and was developed through a multi-year consultative process.
- Stave River Water Use Plan [PDF, 2.2 MB] accepted by the Comptroller of Water Rights and implemented in May 2004.
- Executive summary [PDF, 38 KB] of Consultative Committee Report [PDF, 4.7 MB] provides an overview of the water use planning process and outcomes.
The final step is to review how things are going through a Water Use Plan Order Review (WUPOR), which was done concurrently with a review of the Fisheries Act Authorization (FAA). The Alouette and Stave-Ruskin reviews were conducted jointly, reflecting BC Hydro's operation of all three facilities as a single system.
Learn more about why we have Water Use Plans and the Order Review process.
The outcomes of the review are an application for WUP Order amendment under the Water Sustainability Act and an application to amend the FAA under the Fisheries Act.
What's new?
In 2021, an Order Review Advisory Committee (ORAC) with representatives from First Nations, regulators, local government, key stakeholders, and BC Hydro was formed to support the Alouette-Stave-Ruskin WUPOR and Application for FAA.
Since then, the ORAC has been meeting every few months to review the implementation of the WUP Orders and FAAs, identify issues related to facility operation, discussing whether measures could be made to address the identified issues, and develop a set of recommendations to inform BC Hydro's applications to the Comptroller of Water Rights and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
In January 2025, the ORAC reached consensus on a set of recommendations for operational adjustments, operating priorities, monitoring, and mitigation.
What's next?
You're invited to attend a virtual open house on Monday, November 3, from 6 to 6:45 p.m. The open house will be hosted by BC Hydro and will provide a high-level update on the Review, Committee recommendations, and BC Hydro's applications to the Comptroller and DFO.
To register, please email projects@bchydro.com and we'll send you a virtual meeting invitation link.
We plan to submit an Order Amendment Application to the Comptroller of Water Rights in December 2025 and a Fisheries Act Authorization amendment to DFO in March 2026.
Water Use Plan Order and Order Review
- The Stave River Monitoring Program Synthesis Report [PDF, 2.4 MB]provides a summary of the monitoring programs undertaken for the Order and their outcomes.
- Stave River WUP Order [PDF]
- Public information meeting presentation [PDF, 2.8 MB] – September 14, 2021
Provincial and Program Information
| Projects | Studies | Terms of Reference |
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SFLMON-1 Pelagic Monitor |
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SFLMON-2 Littoral Productivity Assessment |
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SFLMON-3 Fish Biomass Assessment |
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SFLMON-4 Limited Block Load as Deterrent to Spawning |
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SFLMON-5 Risk of Adult Stranding |
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SFLMON-6 Risk of Fry Stranding |
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SFLMON-7 Diel Pattern Fry Out-Migration |
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SFLMON-8 Seasonal Timing and Assemblage of Resident Fish |
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SFLMON-9 Turbidity Levels in Hayward Reservoir |
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SFLMON-10 Archaeological Management |
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