BC Hydro will be planting roughly 50,000 sedge plants along the shores of East Arrow Park as part of the continuing revegetation program on the reservoir.

Earlier this year, BC Hydro held a meeting with Arrow Park residents who were supportive of the planting of sedge along the waterfront, though they were opposed to the planting of cottonwood and other shrub species, says BC Hydro stakeholder engagement advisor Jennifer Walker-Larsen. She says issues of erosion were not discussed at the meeting.

The sedge plants will be planted at about a 40 cm spacing at all “available elevations” on the shore between 440 m and 434 m (1,443 feet to 1,423 feet), says Larsen.

“The total area planted this fall will depend on water levels at the time of planting,” she says. “The lower the level, the more area between 440 m and 434 m will be exposed and available for planting.”

In late April this year, BC Hydro took to the east bank of the Columbia River between the Arrow Park Ferry and Burton and during the process about 14,000 cottonwood and willow stems were replanted from the Nakusp airstrip along the shore in addition to the thousands of sedge plants placed.

The re-vegetation program was recommended by the Columbia River Water Use Plan which was developed by a consultative committee. It was approved in 2007 and its purpose is to benefit fish and wildlife populations and also the stabilization of shorelines. A total of 393 hectares has been identified for replanting in the Arrow Lakes Reservoir.

Walker-Larsen says BC Hydro plans to collect data on plant survival in the spring of 2010.