DFO Library / MPO - Bibliotheque ii 11 11 11 11 1 1111 04012732 FISHERIES AND ENVIRONMENT CANADA V HE COURTENA ESTUARY V A N STATUS OF NVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE TO 1978 FISHERIES AND ENVIRONMENT CANADA GO D443 THE COURTENAY RIVER ESTUARY STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE TO 1978 REPORT OF THE ESTUARY WORKING GROUP DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT REGIONAL BOARD PACIFIC REGION BY SAHLAA MORRIS, ADELLE J. LEANEY, LEONARD M. BELL and JAMES M. THOMPSON Under the Direction of Dr. M. Waldichuk Department of Fisheries and the Environment Resource Services Branch 4160 Marine Drive, LIBRARY West Vancouver, B.C., V 7V 1N6 INSTITUTE OF OCEAN SCIENCES SPECIAL ESTUARY SERIES No. 8 MARCH 15, 1979 Courtenay River Estuary - July 18, 1975 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Table of Contents List of Appendices List of Figures vii List of Tables ix Abbreviations and Symbols xi Preface xv Acknowledgements xxii Summary xxiii 1. INTRODUCTION 1 (i) General 1 (ii) Historical Perspective 3 2. GEOLOGY 9 (i) General Geologic History 9 (ii) Bedrock Geology 10 (iii) Surficial Geology 11 (iv) Economic Geology 16 (v) Soils 21 3. CLIMATOLOGY 23 (i) General 23 (ii) Climatological Stations 24 (iii) Temperature 26 (iv) Winds 31 (v) Precipitation 34 (vi) Other Climatic Variables 35 (vii) Air Pollution Potential 35 4. HYDROLOGY 37 (i) General 37 (ii) Streamflow Gauge Stations 39 (iii) River flows 40 (iv) Floods and Flood Control 41 (v) Power Development and Flow Diversions 47 (vi) Puntledge River Discharge Control Factors 49 11 Page 5. OCEANOGRAPHY 51 ( 1 ) Introduction 51 (ii) General Oceanographic Characteristics 54 (iii) Tides 56 (iv) Water Properties 57 (v) Currents and Circulation 63 (vi) Wave Action 72 (vii) Flushing Action 73 (viii) Navigation 74 (ix) Oceanographic Characteristics in Relation to Development and Waste Disposal 76 6. FISH 78 (i) General Discussion 78 (ii) Species Ecology 80 1. Introduction 80 (a) Courtenay River System and Comox Harbour 80 (b) Oyster River and Estuary 81 2. Freshwater Species 81 3. Anadromous Trout 81 (a) Steelhead 81 (b) Cutthroat 84 4. Pacific Salmon 85 (a) General 85 (b) Chinook 86 (c) Chum 89 (d) Coho 89 (e) Sockeye 90 5. Non-salmonid Marine Species 91 (a) Herring 91 6. Salmon Enhancement 93 (iii) The Fisheries Resource 96 1. Commercial Fishery 96 2. Recreational Fishing 102 3. Indian Food Fishery 104 7. INVERTEBRATES 106 111 Page (i) Terrestrial and Freshwater Invertebrates • • • 106 (ii) Estuarine and Marine Invertebrates 106 1. Courtenay River Estuary 107 2. Oyster River Estuary 108 3. Baynes Sound and Adjacent Strait of Georgia 108 (iii) Zooplankton 109 (iv) The Invertebrate Fishery 111 8. FLORA. 117 (i) Terrestrial Vegetation 117 (ii) Freshwater Flora 120 (iii) Estuarine Flora 120 1. Comox Harbour 120 2. Oyster River 123 (iv) Marine Vegetation 125 (v) Seaweed Industry 128 9. WILDLIFE 130 (i) Birds 130 1. General 130 2. Terrestrial Birds 131 3. Waterbirds 132 (a) Courtenay River Estuary 134 (b) Oyster River Estuary 135 (c) Baynes Sound 135 (ii) Terrestrial Mammals 139 (iii) Hunting 141 (iv) Marine Mammals 144 (v) History of Whaling 146 10. LAND AND WATER USE 147 (i) General 147 (ii) Residential Land Use 155 (iii) Recreational Land and Water Use 155 (iv) Industrial Land and Water Use 158 1. Forest Industry 158 (a) Log Handling and Storage 159 2. Power Development 160 iv Page 3. Mining 162 4. Agriculture 163 (v) Regional and Municipal Services 165 1. Water Supply 165 2. Sewage Treatment 167 3. Transportation 169 12. WATER QUALITY AND POLLUTION 171 (i) General Water Quality Data 172 (ii) Pollution 174 1. Domestic Sewage 174 2. Log Handling and Storage 177 3. Stream Channelization 181 4. Boating 182 5. Mining 182 6. Ocean Dumping 183 7. Other Pollutants 183 12. EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENT 185 13. CONCLUSIONS 189 14. APPENDICES 192 15. GLOSSARY 260 16. BIBLIOGRAPHY 2 7 7 (i) Introduction 277 (ii) Geology and Soils 278 (iii) Climatology 284 (iv) Hydrology 287 (v) Oceanography 290 (vi) Fish 293 (vii) Invertebrates 308 (viii) Flora 314 (ix) Wildlife 319 (x) Land and Water Use 325 (xi) Pollution and Water Quality 335 (xii) Effects of Development 343 17. AUTHOR INDEX 345 V LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page 1.1 Sources of information 192 1.2 Research in progress in the Courtenay - Oyster River area 195 1.3 Metric conversion factors 197 2.1 Geologic time scale 199 4.1 Streamflow data for the study area 200 6.1 List of fish species found in and near the Courtenay and Oyster River systems 202 6.2 Sources of information describing the fish habitats of the Courtenay and Oyster River systems 204 6.3 Spawning escapement data for the Puntledge River 206 6.4 Spawning escapement data for the Tsolum River 207 6.5 Spawning escapement data for the Oyster River 208 6.6 The value of commercial landings from Federal Statistical Area 14 in $000 from 1968-1977 202 6.7 Estimated sports catch and effort data for the steelhead fishery in the rivers that drain into Comox Harbour 210 6.8 Estimated sports catch and effort data for the steelhead fishery of the Oyster River (1966-1976) 211 6.9 Sport catch of Pacific salmon in Federal Statistical Area 14 (1953-1976), reported in pieces 212 7.1 List of macroinvertebrate species found in the intertidal zone of Comox Harbour in June, 1973, at Stations Bl and B8 in Figure 11.1 213 8.1 List of vascular plant species found in the Courtenay River estuary during July, 1974 215 8.2 List of vascular plant species found in the Oyster River estuary during September, 1976 219 9.1 List of birds reported from the study area 221 9.2 List of mammals seen or likely to be found in the study area 228 10.1 Estimated participation in recreational boating by Courtenay-Comox residents in 1973 230 vi LIST OF APPENDICES (cont'd) Appendix Page 10.2 Maps, charts and aerial photographs of the Oyster River - Deep Bay area 231 11.1 Introduction to environmental law in B.0 240 (a) List of federal and provincial statutes which provide for the control of pollu- tants and disruption of habitat 242 (b) Partial list of provincial legislation (B.C.) relevant to land and water use 244 11.2 List of B.C. Pollution Control Branch permits issued in the study area 248 11.3 List of air and water sampling stations in the Courtenay-Comox Harbour area for which monitoring data exist in the B.C. Pollution Control Branch "Environmental Data Base" 251 11.4 Standard water quality criteria for drinking water, oysters and beach sites 259 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Courtenay River estuary area 2 1.2 The Courtenay River estuary (Comox Harbour) 4 2.1 Gravel deposits - Courtenay area 19 2.2 Gravel deposits - Oyster River area 20 3.1 Location of climatological stations near the Courtenay River estuary 25 3.2 Comox (A) wind rose 1955-1972, percent frequency by direction 32 3.3 Comox (A) percent frequency wind direction (and calms) and mean wind speed by months for period 1955-1972 33 4.1 Drainage Basins and streamflow gauging stations in the study area 38 4.2 Mean monthly discharge hydrograph for the Oyster, Tsolum and Puntledge rivers 43 4.3 Flood probability curve for the Tsolum River near Courtenay Station No. 08HBO11 44 4.4 Flood probability curve for the Puntledge River near Courtenay Station No. 08HB006 45 5.1 Chart of Comox Harbour and approaches showing the location of the sewer outfall 61 5.2 Vertical profiles of various physical and chemical properties in the water at station 2 in Comox Harbour, occupied 28 January, 1958 62 5.3 Vertical profiles of various physical and chemical properties in the water at station 5 in Baynes Sound occupied 28 January, 1958 64 5.4 Generalized surface circulation in Comox Harbour and approaches during a flood tide 66 5.5 Generalized surface circulation in Comox Harbour and approaches during an ebb tide 67 5.6 Variations of surface currents over a tidal cycle at anchor stations A, south of Goose Spit, and B, in Comox Harbour 69 5.7 Observed circulation at 15 ft. (4.6 m) and 30 ft. (9.2 m) depth in Comox Harbour and approaches during the period 28-31 January, 1958 70 6.1 Distribution of anadromous fish in the Courtenay and Oyster river drainage basins and drainage areas of nearby streams 79 viii LIST OF FIGURES (cont'd). Figure Page 6.2 Areas within Comox Harbour utilized by salmonids 82 6.3 Distribution of anadromous fish in the lower portion of the Courtenay River system 88 6.4 Extent and intensity of herring spawn in the Courtenay-Oyster River study area 92 6.5 Total stock and escapement of Johnstone Strait- Strait of Georgia area chum salmon for 1949-1976 and forecast for 1977 98 6.6 Restricted groundfish trawling areas in Statisti- cal Area 14 101 7.1 Oyster leases and areas closed to the harvesting of shellfish 112 7.2 Approximate locations of harvestable invertebrate beds 114 8.1 Biogeoclimatic zones in the study area 118 8.2 Emergent floral communities in the Courtenay River estuary 122 8.3 Emergent floral communities in the Oyster River estuary 124 9.1 Migratory bird use of the Courtenay River estuary, winter 1974-1975 136 9.2 Migratory bird use of the Oyster River estuary, winter 1974-1975 137 9.3 Marine mammals in the vicinity of Comox Harbour and Baynes Sound 145 10.1 Municipal and surrounding electoral areas in the Comox Valley 148 10.2 Proposed land use Courtenay-Comox area 149 10.3 Foreshore leases in Comox Harbour 151 10.4 Foreshore leases in the mouth of the Courtenay River 152 10.5 Hydro-electric development and spawning channel on the Puntledge River 161 10.6 Distribution of agricultural districts in the Courtenay-Comox study area 164 11.1 Sources