For the first time in more than 100 years, sockeye salmon (sc虛win in nsyilxc蓹n) have access to more than 350 square kilometres of traditional habitat thanks to the opening of a new passage into Okanagan Lake at Penticton.
The passage bypasses the Okanagan Lake dam at the top of the River Channel and cuts past one of the last major physical barriers that colonization brought to the Okanagan River.
鈥淥ne hundred years ago, dams were built throughout the valley, severing the connection of water and their ecosystems," Zoe Eyjolfson, a fluvial geomorphologist and the project lead for the Okanagan Nation Alliance, said in a release. "Devastation continued with the channelization of the Okanagan River and its tributaries, and with further fragmentation and extreme loss of habitat, salmon were on the brink of extirpation.鈥�
Ground broke for the passage in March with multiple generations of members of the ONA's constituent bands, as well as representatives from bands across the U.S.-Canada border.
For the official grand opening of the passage on Aug. 18, there was just as big a crowd to welcome the project's completion, with more than 200 people in attendance.
鈥淭oday, we are going to open up this waterway to create a passage for our salmon to continue on with their journey, as they did thousands of years ago and today, for me, this is an amazing day," (Penticton Indian Band Chief) sil-teekin y虛il虛mix史m Greg Gabriel said in a release. "This is an amazing day for our Nation. This is an amazing day for our relatives across the 49th parallel. This is an amazing day for our community in snpintktn (Penticton).鈥�
In addition to allowing access to Okanagan Lake at all water levels, the naturalized passage is designed with a different kind of barrier to filter out and prevent invasive species from using it to get into the lake. Boulders and stones in the passage help break up the water flow and provide habitat for native Rocky Mountain ridged mussels.
A previous fishway was attempted and opened in 2019 to bypass the current 1953-era dam. However, its design meant it was inaccessible at certain lake and river levels, and it failed to meet its goals.
The $5 million project is funded through several sources, with the largest amount coming from Washington State's Habitat Conservation Plan and the Habitat Subcommittee of the Priest Rapids Coordinating Committee.
The Okanagan River is a part of the Columbia River basin, and salmon restoration efforts benefit not only the waters north of the border but all the way downstream.
The passage isn't expected to see much use this year. A thermal barrier has kept the number of salmon in the Okanagan River down, with a fraction of the usual return expected to Osoyoos Lake.
But the passage will be ready for 2026's salmon run, with the water permanently flowing through it.
