Tahltan Lake Dam Repairs
Document reference number: 1
September 25, 2024 – The Fisheries and Oceans Canada must decide whether the proposed Tahltan Lake Dam Repairs, located at the Tahltan Lake Stock Assessment Camp on Tahltan Lake, BC is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.
To help inform this decision, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is inviting comments from the public on the project and its potential effects on the environment. All comments received will be considered public [and may be posted online]. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.
Written comments must be submitted by October 25, 2024 to:
Richard Chan
200 - 401 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC. V6C 3S4
(604) 666-8526
Richard.Chan@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Proposed Facility Upgrade Works
The project scope includes the replacement of the existing weir and walkway with a new dam and fishway. The new dam will be constructed of aluminum or steel bin-wall structures which will be filled with bulk fill, and the fishway will be aluminum. An advantage to constructing the dam out of bin walls is that walls can be removed and recycled in response to local environment changes. The new aluminum fishway will be stable and corrosion resistant.
The current condition of the existing weir and walkway structure cannot be repaired to extend its service life because the current design is not amenable to the operational and maintenance (O&M) that would bring it to an acceptable and dependable design standard. Due to the remote location of this site; routine O&M is not an obtainable nor practical part of life cycle management. The proposed new structure would have minimal O&M investment requirements. Alternative building materials such as wood and steel would require extensive corrosion and O&M investments.
Tahltan Lake supports significant sockeye lakeshore spawning, is culturally significant to the Tahltan Nation, and is an important location for DFO Stock Assessment. The project will support government-wide and Fisheries & Oceans objectives by showing the public and First Nation partners that there is a commitment to continue the work that the camp has been doing into the long-term future.
The Tahltan Lake Dam is located within the unceded, ancestral territory of the Tahltan (Tàltàn) First Nation.
The weir is located on Tahltan Lake, which is 110 kilometers via helicopter southwest of Dease Lake, in Northern British Columbia. Access to the site is limited and is only accessible by helicopter.
Latitude/longitude: (57.975797°, -131.580472°).