Wahleach Water Use Plan
The Water Use Plan (WUP) for the Wahleach facility was completed in 2002 and was developed through a multi-year consultative process.
- Project initiated September 2000 and completed October 2002.
- Water Use Plan [PDF, 2.2 MB] accepted by the Comptroller of Water Rights in December 2004.
- Executive summary [PDF, 23 KB] of Consultative Committee Report provides an overview of the water use planning process and outcomes.
- Consultative Committee Report [PDF, 5.4 MB] and draft Water Use Plan submitted to the Comptroller of Water Rights in December 2003.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) issued a Fisheries Act Authorization (FAA) for Wahleach, with an expiry date tied to the review of the Order.
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 FAA.
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 2022, an Order Review Advisory Committee (ORAC) with representatives from First Nations, regulators, and BC Hydro was formed to support the Wahleach WUPOR. Local government and key stakeholders chose not to participate in the ORAC, but to attend virtual meetings and email updates.
Since then, the ORAC has been meeting every few months to review the implementation of the WUP Order and FAA, identify issues related to facility operation, discuss 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 DFO.
In June 2025, the ORAC reached consensus on a set of recommendations for operational changes, monitoring, and mitigation. Refer to the 2025 ORAC report below.
What's next?
In March 2026, we plan to submit an Order Amendment Application to the Comptroller of Water Rights, and a Fisheries Act Authorization amendment to the DFO in April 2026.
Water Use Plan Order and Order Review
- Wahleach Monitoring Program Synthesis Report [PDF, 5.2 MB] provides a summary of the studies undertaken for each Order.
- Water Use Plan Order [PDF, 249 KB] issued by the Comptroller of Water Rights in January 2005.
- Water Use Plan Order Amendment [PDF, 38 KB] issued by the Comptroller of Water Rights in August 2009.
- Public information meeting presentation [PDF, 1.4 MB] – April 25, 2022.
- Order Review Advisory Committee (ORAC) report [PDF, 8.3 MB] – June 24, 2025.
Provincial and Program Information
Annual Reports
- February 2025 [PDF, 76 KB]
- February 2024 [PDF, 84 KB]
- February 2023 [PDF, 150 KB]
- February 2022 [PDF, 112 KB]
- February 2021 [PDF, 151 KB]
- February 2020 [PDF, 806 KB]
- February 2019 [PDF, 93 KB]
- February 2017 [PDF, 243 KB]
- February 2016 [PDF, 188 KB]
- February 2015 [PDF, 178 KB]
- February 2014 [PDF, 125 KB]
- February 2013 [PDF, 48 KB]
- February 2012 [PDF, 92 KB]
- February 2011 [PDF, 94 KB]
- February 2010 [PDF, 210 KB]
- February 2009 [PDF, 115 KB]
- February 2008 [PDF, 101 KB]
- February 2007 [PDF, 116 KB]
- April 2006 [PDF, 390 KB]
Projects | Studies | Terms of Reference |
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WAHMON-1 Lower Jones Creek Fish Productivity Index |
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WAHMON-2 Channel Stability Assessment |
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WAHMON-3 Herrling Island Sidechannel Chum Spawning Success Monitoring |
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WAHWORKS-1 Boulder Creek Flow Bypass Facility Rehabilitation |
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WAHWORKS-2 Wahleach Reservoir Fertilization Program |
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WAHWORKS-3 Lower Wahleach Creek Channel Enhancement Project |
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