Kokanee in Coldstream Creek
October 13 2026 - Kokanee are running in Coldstream Creek, despite water levels that authorities identify as below the minimum needed for the species.
Fish have been observed in the creek at Coldstream Park.
The Water Survey of Canada real-time gauge on Coldstream Creek at Coldstream Creek Road has recorded discharge below the levels identified for safe passage and spawning by returning kokanee.
Coldstream Creek has seen a very recent uptick in flow, but discharge remained below both the critical and recommended thresholds.
This year’s run is therefore occurring under conditions below those official thresholds.
No preliminary or official spawner counts for 2026 have been released yet.
Kokanee remain an important part of the local ecology, contributing nutrients through their eggs, carcasses, and role in the food web of Kalamalka Lake and its tributaries.
(Water flow readings are between about 0.05 and 0.14 cubic metres per second. The Okanagan Basin Water Board’s 2020 Environmental Flow Needs assessment sets the critical flow for kokanee passage and spawning at 0.164 m³/s and the recommended flow at 0.250 m³/s.)
Kokanee in Coldstream Creek
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