Sleepy Bella Coola River

Three months after the Great Flood of 2010 and the Bella Coola River looks like a sleepy coastal stream today.  It's in the winter time mode, with low flows, eagles perched waiting for the chance at late coho and red breasted mergansers always on the prowl for an insect, egg or a fish fry.  What's different this year, is the colour is still being affected by silt or changes that have happened in the watershed from the flood.  The Atnarko River, which contributes less than half the flow where the Talchako and Atnarko merge, is still coloured with silt or glacial water that may be entering it from the upper sources.  It will take the winter to determine if the change is temporary or the result of changes at the headwaters where glacial runoff feeder streams that sometimes flow into the Klinklini River can divert at the headwaters and sometimes feed the normally clear Atnarko River.

We are having more nice stable December cool weather, temperatures just above and below 0 C and very light outflow winds.  Maybe we will get a little more snow just in time for Christmas.  Grizzly