DFO - Library / MPO - Bibliotheque &ttt?«r4 J t taf*t 01008878 ...... eog/fsh -••• •-*&.,.., i MOUNT &&o# >—"••• eMhOTTeHT CANADA w • /• MOODY ~-~-x yr VT BURNABY '••• V* '•••: •• .V lands ; tJifilBP *"« VANCOUVER '••••.'' \/ .-• tsi--* / rf<^«?S^s» -. ./ /A I SSTH=E fpftSlft RIV#^STI#R^> '':'*K:%, *^/ ! HiQn4( "'" "~7^ RICHMOND A^r•••::< ,.•••" a& ^/>.v • *£M#tf ; STATUS Ofjf^W ENVIRONI^feWTAl KNGSee6GE TO 1974 /kV /It-"" •' £*^ / v«.1 \ "••••• ..'•••••,':v"' .,.""-^..,.(':'h';,-K.,n,1 i DELTA W*sthom '•••>.. ^•- -«A nosefirs >y ' V*^.''i?"" ,.•:! ^,,rt- '&&ms»fcA C ^i5 .^/i? . /^v/?/ \ ,.-••"" /' BANK \ \A •::••<: •:.:-•. mOMs ESTUARY SERIES NS!1&QyNOA#Y A>r/ J 6' ^>; >" fittittt I \ 12.^*00' CA N A 0 A U< S. A, V /•;';v;;•.-:. ••/•;; •.:•' ENVIRONMENT CANADA THE FRASER RIVER ESTUARY STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE TO 1974 REPORT OF THE ESTUARY WORKING GROUP DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT REGIONAL BOARD PACIFIC REGION ACIFICBIOUO^ F1SH^Jisve .,sHCOLUMBIA LINDSAY M. HOOS and GLEN A. PACKMAN Under the Direction of Dr. M. Waldichuk Fisheries and Marine Service Pacific Environment Institute West Vancouver, B.C. With A Geology Section by Dr. John L. Luternauer Geological Survey of Canada Vancouver, B.C. Special Estuary Series No.1 SEPTEMBER 30, 1974 SATELLITE PHOTO OF THE FRASER RIVER ESTUARY AND CONTIGUOUS WATERS, JULY 30, 1972. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Table of Contents i List of Figures iv List of Tables vi List of Appendices vii Preface . ix Acknowledgements xiii Summary xiv 1. Introduction 1 2. Sources of Information 7 (i) Environment Canada 7 (ii) Other Agencies 8 3. Geology 10 (i) Geographic-geologic setting and geologic history 12 (ii) Areal distribution of surficial sediments and dispersal patterns of water-borne sediments . 16 (1) Dyked land 17 (2) River channels 18 (3) Tidal flats 21 (4) Western delta-front upper fore-slope ... 26 4. Climatology 30 (i) General description 30 (ii) Climatological stations 31 (iii) Precipitation 32 (iv) Temperature 37 (v) Winds 38 (vi) Humidity, cloud and sunshine 42 (vii) Fog and reduced visibility 43 (viii) Evaporation and evapotranspiration 44 (ix) Air pollution potential 45 5. Hydrology and Water Quality 49 (i) Hydrology 49 (ii) Water quality 54 (iii) Hydraulic model studies 60 u Page 6. Oceanography * 63 (i) Behaviour of Fraser River water at the estuary , 63 (ii) Wind effects 71 (iii) Tides • 77 (iv) Recent observations of the Fraser estuary and other related studies 78 7. Invertebrate Biology 80 (i) Benthos and terrestrial invertebrates 80 (ii) Zooplankton . r 93 (iii) The invertebrate fisheries resource 97 8. Fish ,.., 101 (i) General discussion 1Q1 (ii) The fisheries resource 11° 9. Bacteria 126 10. Flora t 127 (i) Terrestrial and benthic vegetation 127 (ii) Phytoplanjcton ,..,.,.,,._ t . t t •• 148 11. Wildlife 151 (i) Waterfowl 151 (1) Swans 153 (2) Geese • 153 (3) Ducks 157 (ii) Shorebirds ]*\ (iii) Gulls \l\ (iv) Great blue heron f-J?j? (v) Other migratory birds :f ™ (vi) Raptorial birds T }?' (vii) Upland game birds ..., ±°* (viii) Mammals ^7? (ix) Recreation M 181 12. Land Use (i) Agriculture ]Sl (ii) Urban development ^-°^ (iii) Recreation (other than wildlife) J-o' (iv) In4ustry , tZ± (v) Waterfront land use .,t...T •Lyo Ill Page 13. Waste Disposal and Pollution Problems 199 (i) General discussion 199 (ii) Domestic organic waste disposal 202 (iii) Agricultural wastes 209 (iv) Other pollution problems 211 (v) Solid waste disposal ,T 213 (1) General discussion 213 (2) Refuse disposal on the Fraser River delta 215 14. Food Chains 219 (i) General discussion 219 (ii) Food chains of the lpwer Fraser and delta area 221 (iii) Effects of development on the food chains of the lower Fraser r. 224 (1) Temperature 225 (2) Salinity 226 (3) Dissolved oxygen ... 227 (4) Other aquatic factors 229 (5) Sediments ,....,.... £30 15. Conclusion 233 16. Appendices 238 17. Bibliography 342 (i) Bibliography index 343 (ii) Bibliography 344 18. Author Index 489 (i) Author index table of contents 490 (ii) Author index 491 IV LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1. Study area in relation to Fraser drainage system T 3 1.2. Study area 4 3.1. Generalized geologic map of the Fraser River delta and adjacent areas 11 34 4.1. Climatological stations 4.2. Average annual precipitation in inches • 35 39 4.3 Mean temperatures (° F) 4.4 Wind rose, Vancouver International Airport (1953-1971) 41 5.1. Discharge hydrograph for 1970 - Fraser River at Hope, Station 08MF005 50 6.1. Surface distribution of salinity at the Fraser River estuary, May 29 - June 1, 1950 • 65 6.2. Horizontal distribution of salinity at 30 ft. depth, at the Fraser River estuary, May 29 - June 1, 1950 66 6.3. Horizontal distribution of salinity at 100 ft. depth, at the Fraser River estuary, May 29 - June 1, 195Q 67 6.4 Vertical salinity section through the northern part of the Fraser River estuary, from the North Arm of the Fraser River into the Strait of Georgia, May 29-June 1, 1950 68 6.5. Vertical salinity section through the southern part of the Fraser River estuary, from the South Arm of the Fraser River into the Strait of Georgia, N|ay 29-June 1, 1950 69 v LIST OF FIGURES (cont'd). Figure Page 7.1. Major invertebrate growing and fisheries areas 98 10.1. Some major vegetation areas 130 11.1. The Pacific flyway 152 11.2. Foreshore areas of importance to waterfowl 154 11.3. Sketch of possible layout of 3,000 acre controlled waterfowl hunting unit .., 176 12.1. Land presently in agriculture 182 12.2. Recreational land use t 188 14.1. Generalized food chain and energy hierarchy 220 14.2. A simple Fraser estuary food chain 223 14.3. A somewhat more complex Fraser estuary food chain 223 14.4. A food chain of even greater complexity ... 223 15.1. Areas having been proposed for future industrial development 234 15.2. Areas cited for proposed recreational development ,.., 235 15.3. Sensitive areas for fish and wildlife 236 VI LIST OF TABLES Table Page 3. 1. Grain size scale for sediments 13 4. 1. Climatological stations for which „ long-term normals are available 4. 2. Temperature and precipitation normals in the Fraser delta region 36 4.,3. Percentage frequency of low-level inversions »* 46 4.,4. Number of occurrences of light wind episodes (1957-66) 47 5,,1. Other Fraser River flow records measured at Hope, B.C 5i 11,,1. Food preferences at various times of year ... 161 11,.2. Diving ducks, times of occurrence 162 11,.3. Trend in number of waterfowl hunters in British Columbia T 174 11 4. Percentage of winter waterfowl population using the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary 178 11.5. Increase in nesting population at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary ... 178 11.6. Attendance record at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary i78 Vll LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page 1.1. Current research projects related to the Fraser estuary f 239 4.1. (1) Climatological data as recorded at Vancouver International Airport .. 244 (2) Climatological data from Tsawwassen ferry terminal 245 (3) Climatological data from Sand Heads lightstation 245 246 4.2. Major atmospheric pollutants and sources 4.3. Contribution to air pollution from various sources: (1 domestic fuel consumption and vehicular emissions 247 (2 oil refineries 248 (3 aircraft emissions 249 (4 bulk transport industry 249 (5 metallurgical plants .. 250 (6 solvent usage ,T 250 (7 miscellaneous services and other small industries in greater Vancouver 251 (8 effects of air pollutants 251 5.1. Fraser River estuary available streamflow data 252 5.2. Period of record of sediment data 254 5.3. (1) List of water quality stations in the Fraser River basin monitored by the Water Quality Branch, Inland Waters Directorate 255 (2) Parameters measured and list of abbreviations used in Appendix 5.3. (1) 257 Vlll LIST OF APPENDICES (cont'd). Appendix Page 7.1. Composite species list of known benthic/terrestrial organisms of the lower Fraser River estuary 258 7.2. Composite species list of known zooplankton organisms of the lower Fraser River estuary .... 270 8.1. List of fish species of the lower Fraser estuary as compiled from the cited literature, and other commercially important species from the Strait of Georgia (from Shepard and Stevenson, 1956) 275 10.1. Species list of flora (other than phytoplankton, and benthic macrophytes and algae) compiled from the literature cited 278 10.2. Species list of phytoplankton, benthic macrophytes, and benthic algae 290 11.1. Utilization of the Fraser delta area by avian, mammalian, amphibian, and reptilian species ... •• L*D 11.2. Summary of monthly totals of waterfowl - aerial census, Fraser estuary, 1966 to 1974 .. 327 11.3. Raptor census (from Vancouver Natural History Society, 1970) 328 13.1. Effluent sources on the lower Fraser with applications for permits, permits, or registrations to the Pollution Control Board, including daily discharge quantities, BOD, and total suspended solids (T.S.S.): (1) Industrial effluents 329 (2) Domestic effluents 339 IX, PREFACE The Estuary Working Group was formed in 1971 under the auspices of the Regional Board Pacific Region of Environment Canada (DOE) in recognition of various ecological issues which were arising out of a number of existing or proposed estuary developments. Early discussions focussed on the need for more scien tific information on the potential damage of proposed developments and on ways of mitigating these harmful effects. Programs for research were proposed by the various DOE Services represented in the Working Group. However, after reviewing the proposals, the Regional Board Pacific Region, decided that an inventory of the available information on the important estuaries in British Columbia was needed. Eighteen British Columbia estuaries were designated as being critical in terms of importance to fisheries and wildlife, and potential threat of develop ment.