Canada: Ladysmith delays dam removal over salmon-spawning concerns

The Town of Ladysmith is delaying the removal of a dam on Holland Creek after the province warned of a “significant threat” to spawning salmon. The creek supports major runs of chum salmon and minor runs of coho and steelhead, according to the Environment Ministry, as well as being a source for the town’s water. Ladysmith had planned to remove the Mackie Road Dam on Sept. 4 after a recommendation last year by B.C. Dam Safety that it posed a risk of failure and the best option was to remove it. The decommissioning of Mackie Road Dam has now been moved to next summer, according to the town. “While the risk of dam failure remains, it is not imminent, therefore protection of fish spawning is the higher priority,” the town said in a statement. No work has started on removal. The 1.5-kilometre section of the North Loop of the Holland Creek/Heart Lake Trail that was set to be closed during the removal process will remain open to the public until work begins. The decommissioning is ...