Education Series
Water
Water is at the center of the Bass Coast experience. From keeping yourself properly hydrated to respecting the natural water systems of the Coldwater River... here are some tips to help you get the most out of your festival experience.
Filtered drinking water fill stations are located throughout the festival site.
Please don’t use the fill up station as a shower. Go to CAMP B STORE for showers.
Stay hydrated. You’ll have more fun!
Water bladders & foldable water bottles are a great way to keep you hydrated.
Coldwater River.
Water Is Life.
"For the fish and the creatures that live within it, for the land it nourishes, and for the people whose thirst it quenches. It is a precious resource, and our rivers are constantly threatened by temperature and human intervention. Please do your utmost to act with respect and responsibility toward our water."
- Ruth Tolerton from the Lower Nicala Indian Band
SPECIAL HABITAT
The Coldwater River is a natural salmon spawning site that is incredibly sensitive to human intervention. Please act with utmost care for the fragile ecosystem that exists in the water.
Respect the River by keeping its natural architecture.
Please don’t use any soaps (even biodegradable ones) in the river as they are harmful to the natural environment. Use Camp B showers when you need to wash yourself.
Dispose of your dish water a minimum of 100 metres away from the River’s edge.
An Important Ecosystem
The Coldwater River is 95 kilometers long with a watershed of 917 square kilometers, flowing into the Nicola River which flows into the Thompson River before then meeting the Fraser River and flowing into the ocean. The Coldwater River is one of the most important systems in the Nicola watershed for early timed Fraser River chinook salmon, Interior Fraser coho, Thompson steelhead, and bull trout. Spawning Chinook and Steelhead were at record lows in 2018 in the Nicola watershed and both populations have been recommended for listing as endangered under the Species at Risk Act.
The Coldwater River is impacted by a variety of human activities from water withdrawals from the river for agricultural and other purposes, forestry practices, and impacts to habitat caused by recreational users such as ATV's. Coldwater River salmon are also impacted by fishing pressure and poor ocean conditions which have reduced marine survival. Currently, the Pacific Salmon Foundation is taking steps to restore the Coldwater River including investing in habitat restoration projects, and fishing is being restricted to try to boost the numbers of fish reaching spawning grounds.