A project to help restore the Coldstream Creek to its natural state is nearing completion.
The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) is removing drinking water intake infrastructure from the decommissioned Noble Canyon weir, located on a forest service road above Lavington.
The project will help restore the creek as an effective fish habitat, the RDNO says. As finishing touches to the project, the district says its contractors will plant 40 trees, 150 willow stakes and seed the disturbed area.
The facility was abandoned as a drinking water source by the District of Coldstream in 1999 due to turbidity issues, though the license associated with the facility has remained with the RDNO.
A number of the facility’s structures were decommissioned in 2015, including two buildings, a catwalk and a vehicle bridge. However, the weir itself remained in place. In 2018 the weir facility filled with sediment and woody debris, causing rerouting of the stream and considerable erosion in the area.
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