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The JORDAN RIVER WATERSHED AWARENESS COALITION (JRWAC) is a not-for-profit society in Jordan River, BC dedicated to working collaboratively with diverse interests and rights holders. JRWAC aims to raise awareness about complex interactions that limit the flourishing of life within the diitiida (di:ti:dah)/Jordan River Watershed on Vancouver Island.
JRWAC Mission
For millennia prior to colonial settlement, diitiida (di:ti:dah)/the Jordan River teemed with an abundance of life and was among the most prolific aquatic ecosystem that flowed into the Salish Sea. Relative to this time, today the health of the river has been jeopardized.
We envision a future when diitiida/the Jordan River once again teems with life. A better understanding of the factors that limit the ecological capacity of the watershed offer insight into how this centuries-long ecosystem degradation can be reversed.
We invite those who appreciate all the river has to offer to work together to help rebalance the social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits that can be realized from a healthy and vibrant diitiida/the Jordan River.
Video by the Comox Valley Art Gallery’s Youth Media Project. This video explores what it would take to have salmon return to the Jordan River.
Jordan River Watershed
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Jordan River, BC circa 1969 Source: Sooke Region Museum
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Jordan River Watershed Map
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Jordan River Watershed location on S. Vancouver Island Map
“The Jordan River was once brimming with salmon, until three industries changed it forever Restoration efforts are slow going, but changes in industrial practice could help bring it back...”
— Jolene Rudisuela, Reporter for the Capital Daily
Jordan River, BC Recent History
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Power Generation
Dams built in 1911 and 1971 control the river's water flow to generate hydro electricity.
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Exploration and Mining
Copper and gold mineralization was discovered in the Jordan River, BC canyon in 1915 and mined until 1975.
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Timber Harvest
The introduction of rail in the 1930s spurred the industrialization of logging in the watershed.
