To the Editor,
I am writing to clarify information included in a Letter to the Editor on Nov. 29, 2017.
At Catalyst Paper, one of our core values is to engage stakeholders on issues of mutual interest.
This was of particular importance last month when the company was directed by the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District to remove of one of three gates from the Sproat Lake weir, which is a permanent structure that maintains minimum lake levels during dry summer months.
It was our responsibility to ensure that all watershed stakeholders were informed and consulted before we took action.
As soon as we completed that process, we acted without delay.
We now know that the removal of one gate from the weir had a negligible impact, accounting for about one percent of the total flow during the flood condition.
Removal of the second gate and the third gate (which was already cut by two feet 10 years ago to support salmon spawning), would have had a negligible impact on the total flow. At the time of flooding, water was flowing about three metres above the weir.
We agree that a hydrology study would help the region better understand the complexity of the Alberni watershed and how community stakeholders can collaborate on an effective management strategy.
Walter Tarnowsky,
vice president & general manager, Catalyst Paper,
Port Alberni Division