Recently, a friend asked us whether the northern dams were open and how that might affect the flows in the river for kayaking.
Dugald, who never misses a canoe trip on the Salmon – and is highly informed on geology and river flows – responded:
“Opening the northern dams has hardly any effect on the Salmon River’s flow-rate. This is because the Salmon’s only adjustable dam, at the outlet of Big Clear Lake, controls a subwatershed only ~5% of the area of the Salmon Watershed upstream of Tamworth (28 km2 out of 585 km2).
Friends and I enjoyed a pleasant paddle from Roblin to Kingsford on October 7. Flow-rate on the Shannonville gauge was 10.5 cms. Attached is a picture taken in one of the steeper bits, about 1 km downstream of Forest Mills. I have paddled the LSal as low as 7 cms; no need to scrape rocks even at that level! The gauge was down to 9 cms two days ago; recent rain has brought it back up to 9.2 cms.”
FYI: Quinte Conservation has begun drawing down dams on the Salmon River, as per their usual timing right after Thanksgiving weekend.