GMSWORKS-12/13 | Peace and Williston Recreational
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GMSWORKS 12/13 – Water License Requirements Peace and Williston Recreational Access Feasibility Study Feasibility Study for Boat Launch Ramps along the Peace River FINAL REPORT 777 W. Broadway Suite 301 Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4J7 In association with March 5, 2010 MN Project 6683 Peace River and Williston Recreational Access Feasibility Study TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 SCOPE OF WORK ................................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 REPORT ORGANIZATION ....................................................................................................................... 3 2.0 DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................... 4 3.0 INSPECTION FINDINGS OF THE POTENTIAL BOAT LAUNCH RAMP SITES AND EXISTING BOAT LAUNCH FACILITIES ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 3.1 SITE LOCATIONS .................................................................................................................................. 5 3.2 HALFWAY RIVER EXISTING SITE ............................................................................................................ 5 3.3 HALFWAY RIVER WEST BANK SITE ........................................................................................................ 7 3.4 PEACE RIVER SITE NEAR CONFLUENCE WITH HALFWAY RIVER ............................................................... 9 3.5 BLACKFOOT PARK SITE ...................................................................................................................... 10 4.0 FEASIBILITY DESIGN OF BOAT LAUNCH RAMP AT THE STUDY LOCATIONS ............................................... 13 4.1 DESIGN BASIS .................................................................................................................................... 13 4.2 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF BOAT LAUNCH RAMPS ................................................................................. 15 4.3 HALFWAY RIVER EXISTING SITE .......................................................................................................... 16 4.4 HALFWAY RIVER WEST BANK SITE ...................................................................................................... 16 4.5 PEACE RIVER SITE NEAR CONFLUENCE WITH HALFWAY RIVER ............................................................. 17 4.6 BLACKFOOT PARK SITE ...................................................................................................................... 17 5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW .................................................................................................... 19 5.1 GENERAL ........................................................................................................................................... 19 5.2 HALFWAY RIVER EXISTING SITE .......................................................................................................... 19 5.3 HALFWAY RIVER WEST BANK SITE ...................................................................................................... 19 5.4 PEACE RIVER SITE NEAR CONFLUENCE WITH THE HALFWAY RIVER ...................................................... 19 5.5 BLACKFOOT PARK SITE ...................................................................................................................... 19 6.0 ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW ................................................................................................. 20 6.1 GENERAL ........................................................................................................................................... 20 7.0 COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................................... 21 7.1 HALFWAY RIVER EXISTING SITE .......................................................................................................... 21 7.2 HALFWAY RIVER WEST BANK SITE ...................................................................................................... 22 7.3 PEACE RIVER SITE NEAR CONFLUENCE WITH THE HALFWAY RIVER ....................................................... 23 7.4 BLACKFOOT PARK SITE ...................................................................................................................... 24 8.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................ 27 8.1 HALFWAY RIVER EXISTING SITE .......................................................................................................... 27 8.2 HALFWAY RIVER WEST BANK SITE ...................................................................................................... 27 8.3 PEACE RIVER SITE NEAR THE CONFLUENCE WITH THE HALFWAY RIVER ................................................ 27 8.4 BLACKFOOT PARK SITE ...................................................................................................................... 27 9.0 CLOSURE ................................................................................................................................................................ 28 Final Report Page i of ii Peace River and Williston Recreational Access Feasibility Study LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Site Location Map ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 3.1: Existing Boat Launch Ramp Site at Halfway River ............................................................................................. 6 Figure 3.2: Halfway River West Bank Site ............................................................................................................................ 8 Figure 3.3: Peace River Site near Confluence with Halfway River ....................................................................................... 9 Figure 3.4: Blackfoot Park Site ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Figure 4.1: Water Surface Elevations at Halfway River ...................................................................................................... 13 Figure 4.2: Water Surface Elevations at Blackfoot Park (Peace River at Alces River) ....................................................... 14 LIST OF TABLES Table 7.1: Halfway River Existing Site – Estimated Construction Cost ............................................................................... 22 Table 7.2: Halfway River Existing Site – Estimated Annual Maintenance Cost .................................................................. 22 Table 7.3: Halfway River West Bank Site - Estimated Construction Cost ........................................................................... 23 Table 7.4: Halfway River West Bank Site – Estimated Annual Maintenance Cost .............................................................. 23 Table 7.5: Peace River Site near Confluence with Halfway River ....................................................................................... 24 Table 7.6: River Site near Confluence with Halfway River - Annual Maintenance .............................................................. 24 Table 7.7: Blackfoot Park Launch Ramp Replacement ....................................................................................................... 25 Table 7.8: Blackfoot Park Launch Ramp Replacement – Estimated Annual Maintenance ................................................ 25 Table 7.9: Summary of Estimates for Capital and Annual Maintenance Costs ................................................................... 26 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: DRAWINGS APPENDIX B: PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON FIELD TRIP AT HALFWAY RIVER AND PEACE RIVER AUGUST 12-14, 2008 APPENDIX C: ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT APPENDIX D: ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT Final Report Page ii of ii Peace River and Williston Recreational Access Feasibility Study 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Project Background The headwaters of the Peace River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River, are located in north-western British Columbia as shown in Figure 1.1. The Peace Reach is formed by the confluence of the Finlay and Parsnip rivers flowing in opposite directions in the Rocky Mountain Trench. At the confluence, the Peace Reach flows east and is the only river to cut through the Rocky Mountains. Once out of the Peace Canyon, the river maintains an easterly direction, crossing the British Columbia/Alberta border. The Peace River is confluent with the Slave River that, in turn, flows north into Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. The Mackenzie River begins at the outlet of Great Slave Lake and flows north to the Arctic Ocean. The existing works comprising the Peace Hydroelectric System include the W.A.C. Bennett Dam; the G.M. Shrum Generating Station; the Peace Canyon Dam; and the Peace Canyon Generating Station. The Williston Reservoir was formed after