Kootenay Region WRP Projects 1 Akolkolex River 2 Standfast Creek 3 Eleven Mile Creek 4 Russell Creek 5 Inlet Creek 6 Ross Creek/North Aylmer Creek/South Aylmer Creek 7 Jordan River 8 Redding Creek 9 Bighorn Creek UTM (NAD 83) zones, northings and eastings; watershed codes and waterbody identifiers for aquatic rehabilitation projects for Region 4, Kootenay. No. Region Watershed WRP Projects (NAD 83) (NAD 83) (NAD 83) Watershed Waterbody UTM UTM UTM Code Identifier Zone Northing Easting 1 Kootenay Akolkolex River Akolkolex River Instream Restoration 11 5630729 427454 300-741700 00000UARL 2 Akolkolex River Standfast Creek Bank Stabilization and Riparian Restoration 11 5640695 438268 300-741700-54300 00000UARL 3 Blueberry Creek Eleven Mile Creek Instream and Riparian Restoration 11 5460597 440489 300-633000-48500 00000LARL 4 Goat River Russell Creek Channel Rehabilitation 11 5445398 548037 340-445900-32100-04700 00000KOTL 5 Inlet Creek Inlet Creek Instream Restoration 11 5555843 610104 349-666200-32000-34500 00000KOTR 6 Kootenay Lake Ross Creek, North Aylmer Creek, 11 5500259 504933 340-212700 00000KOTL South Aylmer Creek Channel Restoration 11 5500259 504933 340-212700 00000KOTL 7 Jordan River Jordan River Boulder Clusters 11 5651872 413211 300-754800 00000REVL 8 St. Mary River Redding Creek/Trib. 780 Instream Restoration 11 5489503 529458 349-411700-55000 00000SMAR 9 Wigwam River Bighorn Creek Instream Restoration 11 5449832 648633 349-248100-04900-37900 00000ELKR AKOLKOLEX RIVER STREAMBANK STABILIZATION, BIOENGINEERING/ RIPARIAN RESTORATION AND SURFACE WATER INTAKE Objectives The Akolkolex Watershed contains westslope cutthroat The objectives of this project were: trout and slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus). The population • to protect the fish and wildlife habitat complex of westslope cutthroat is of particular interest because it developed at km 23.5 in 1997; has not experienced any degree of introgressive • to provide a new surface water intake for the km 23.5 hybridisation with introduced rainbow trout as has fish and wildlife habitat complex; occurred in many other watersheds (DeDominicis and • to restore riparian function at km 21 of the Akolkolex Boag, 1996). The combination of previous forest FSR. harvesting practices and historical angling pressure is thought to have caused a decline of this provincially significant endemic population. FRBC Region/MELP Region/MOF Region Kootenay–Boundary/Kootenay/Nelson Assessments and Prescriptions Both a Level 1 Fish Habitat Assessment Procedure Author (FHAP) and a Riparian Assessment and Prescriptions Cory S. Legebokow Procedure (RAPP) were completed for the watershed in 1996 and 1998, respectively. Proponent/Implementing Partners Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks on behalf of Past Rehabilitation Work Downie Street Sawmills Ltd. of Revelstoke, BC. A mitigation project developed off–channel groundwater fed winter rearing and spring high flow refuge habitat in the fall of 1997 (Zaldokas, Editor, 1998, 1999). The project Watershed/Stream created approximately 4200 m2 of pond, pool, and riffle Akolkolex River/Standfast Creek habitat types. A supplemental surface water source was added to the project in 1998. Location The Akolkolex River is located within the Columbia Forest Rehabilitation Work District approximately 25 km southeast of Revelstoke, BC. The supplemental surface water source intake box installed It flows southwest for 31 km from its glacial headwaters in 1998 was buried during the spring of 1999 due to high in the Duncan Ranges of the Selkirk Mountains to its bedload movement within Standfast Creek. As a result, a confluence with the Columbia River. Fisheries Habitat Engineer designed a new intake box. The new intake box was installed on the downstream side The watershed restoration works are clearly visible from of the culvert where the resultant scour maintains a stable the Akolkolex FSR at km 21 and km 23.5. The surface pool. A new 130–m long section of 6–inch PVC pipe was water intake is located at the downstream side of the connected to the existing pipe about half way along its Standfast Creek culvert at approximately km 24. length. An additional 130–m of socked perforated pipe was connected to the perforated pipe installed in 1998 in order to increase groundwater collection capacity. Introduction The Akolkolex River Watershed (Northern Columbia The high bedload movement from Standfast Creek has Mountains eco–region; Interior Cedar–Hemlock also caused aggradation within the Akolkolex River, biogeoclimatic zone) has a total drainage are of 395 km2. resulting in lateral channel migration and streambank It was one of the first valleys to be harvested within the erosion that was threatening the fish and wildlife habitat Revelstoke TSA and had 29 cutblocks harvested prior to complex. Five lateral debris catchers were constructed to 1987, primarily along the mainstem valley bottom and protect the fish and wildlife habitat complex and adjacent lower reaches of the main tributaries. riparian vegetation. During construction there was log Kootenay Region 4–1 breakage. Therefore the downstream debris catcher was Proposed Work modified into a triangular lateral logjam. All five structures A perched culvert at km 26 of the Akolkolex FSR prevents will also serve to increase fish habitat complexity by fish access to a groundwater fed tributary. During 2000, creating lateral scour pools (Fig. 4–1). the culvert will be replaced with a bridge and the channel length will be extended through the adjacent riparian area. The RAPP identified significant sediment sources from In addition, three more lateral debris catchers are two over–steepened sections of road fill at approximately prescribed for the left bank of the Akolkolex mainstem at km 21 of the Akolkolex FSR (DeDominicis and Duane, approximately km 24. 1998). Detailed bioengineering prescriptions were developed to restore riparian function. The bioengineering included the installation of live smiles, wattle fences, live For Further Information pole drains, live brush layers, and live stakes (Raymond, Contact 1999). In addition, two lateral debris catchers were Cory S. Legebokow constructed at the toe of one of the slopes in order to Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks stabilize the streambank (Fig. 4–2). Tel: (250) 837–7637 Email: [email protected] Cost Summary Labour $32,300 Equipment and Materials 36,200 Total Cost $68,500 Outputs 1. Approximately 40 litres/second of supplemental water were provided to the fish and wildlife habitat complex at km 23.5; 2. 0.20 km of right streambank were stabilized; 3. 0.14 km (0.37 ha) of riparian function along the right streambank was restored. Figure 4–1. Upstream view of lateral debris catchers at km 23.5. Production Estimates The closest structure was modified to a triangular lateral logjam. Adult cutthroat trout spawned within the riffle portions of the inlet and outlet channels of the fish and wildlife habitat complex at km 23.5. Young–of–the–year (YOTY) were observed within these areas by the end of July. These YOTY were too numerous to count and were too small to electroshock effectively. Cutthroat ranging from 10–40 cm were also observed within the pond portion of the complex throughout spring, summer and fall. Winter use has not been documented due to pond ice cover and poor site accessibility. It is estimated that the seven lateral debris catchers will result in a 2.3–fold increase in total fish numbers within the treatment area based on information presented in Koning and Keeley (1997). Figure 4–2. Bioengineering and lateral debris catchers at km 21 on the Akolkolex River Forest Service Road. 4–2 Kootenay Region ELEVEN MILE CREEK LARGE WOODY DEBRIS PLACEMENT AND RIPARIAN PLANTING Objectives Geoscience Consultants Ltd. A paired Watershed The objectives of this project were to slow the movement Comparison by Klohn–Crippen (1999) and Restoration of sediment through Eleven Mile Creek with the instream Guidelines for Eleven Mile Creek: Placement of Large placement of large woody debris and to ensure a supply of Woody Debris (1999) refined the instream prescriptions. LWD in the future by planting the riparian area. Rehabilitation Work FRBC Region/MELP Region/MOF Region A 500–m section of Eleven Mile Creek within an old Kootenay–Boundary/Kootenay/Nelson cutblock was identified as being particularly lacking in functioning LWD. Consequently, the channel was unstable and sediment transported downstream more readily to the Author lower reaches of the community watershed. To remedy Terry Anderson this, logs were flown in by helicopter and dropped on the bank. A chainsaw winch and hand tools were used to move the LWD into the wetted perimeter where it was cabled Proponent/Implementing Partners to native ballast in the streambed and on the bank using Atco Lumber Ltd. the HILTI™ epoxy method (Figs. 4–3, 4–4, 4–5). A very small footprint of disturbance was realized in the riparian area by using a chainsaw winch to position the LWD rather Watershed/Stream than a piece of heavy machinery (Fig. 4–6). Blueberry Creek/Eleven Mile Creek The LWD structures were constructed to retain sediment rather than to provide fish habitat. As sediment is retained Location upstream of the debris, sediment is conversely scoured from Eleven Mile Creek is a tributary of Blueberry Creek that the downstream side resulting in the development of pools flows into the Columbia River 5 km south of Castlegar. and the formation of a stepped channel. The riparian area was infilled and planted with 2,986 Introduction hemlock (Tsuga spp.) seedlings early in the spring of 1999. Eleven Mile Creek is a second–order stream that flows north into Blueberry Creek. It has a step–pool (boulder/ cobble) morphology for most of its length. The average Cost Summary channel slope is 16% and the total drainage area is 8.6 km2. Labour $ 8,325 Extensive logging and road building occurred in the Eleven Machinery and Materials 13,534 Mile Creek Watershed in the early seventies.