Vedder River Off-Channel Habitat Opportunities Inventory


Year 2011
Proponent City of Chilliwack
Project type Habitat
FSWP funding source Living Rivers
Grant amount $10,000
Total project value $25,000
ID number FSWP11-LR27-H

Location: Fraser Valley, N/A

Project Summary

SUMMARY

The purpose of this project is to identify and prioritize fish habitat protection, enhancement and habitat maintenance opportunities in the Vedder River Management Area. The outcome of this project will be a report, including maps that will inform and direct future habitat improvements and land use decisions.  This will aid in the effectiveness and implementation of future enhancement activities by the Vedder River Management Area Committee (VRMAC), the City of Chilliwack and local stakeholders.

DESCRIPTION

The Vedder River Management Area includes the lands between the dykes of the Vedder River from Keith Wilson Bridge to Vedder Crossing. These lands include the active floodway channel of the Vedder River, several tributaries, abandoned channels, wetlands and riparian forests, and groundwater fed channels and tributaries. The Sardis aquifer is also integral to these lands and benefits the fishery resources through groundwater discharge and existing groundwater fed channels and tributaries. The role of the Vedder River Management Area Committee is to ensure the integrity of the Vedder River floodway, while maintaining and enhancing the natural resources of the area and incorporating recognized historical uses and educational programs for the benefit of the people of British Columbia.

It has been identified that there is a lack of information to guide the conception and implementation of habitat enhancement projects in the Vedder River Management Area. The purpose of this project is to produce a comprehensive inventory of fish habitat features and to identify opportunities for maintenance and enhancement of fish rearing and spawning habitat and other ecological value within these lands. This inventory will enhance the range, effectiveness, and economy of enhancement projects the Vedder River Management Area Committee currently undertakes in conjunction with its floodway conveyance capacity maintenance program.

This project would aid substantially in the planning of future park uses and enable VRMAC to better fulfill its mandate to protect fish habitat while undertaking floodway capacity maintenance.  There is an opportunity concurrent with the VRMAC biannual flood management cycle to implement appropriate, cost effective, fish habitat enhancement projects. These enhancement projects could include restoration of abandoned channels, the removal of barriers to fish passage, maintenance of previous habitat enhancement projects, and riparian restoration. We expect to find that there is significant potential to restore fish access and to improve water quality, primarily for coho and chum, to cut off channels.  There may also be opportunities for the City of Chilliwack, DFO, and local stewardship groups to increase productive habitat through maintenance of some of these features.

This project began with a VRMAC field trip during which five potential opportunities were investigated. While some of these opportunities showed potential, it was apparent that more information on the status of the off-channel areas of the Vedder lands is needed in order to understand current use, needs for protection, and enhancement opportunities.

Through airphoto interpretation and prior knowledge of the area, eight areas of investigation within the VRMA were identified:

1. Giesbrecht sidechannel (Vedder River Campground to Giesbrecht stockpile).
2. Street Creek and associated ponds and wetland
3. Brown Road Habitat Ponds downstream to Street Creek area
4. South side relief channel for the railway bridge: “Trestle Channel”
5. Old Yarrow Water Works channel
6. Salwein Creek downstream of the blue heron ponds
7. Relief Structure and associated ponds and channels
8. Peach Creek

These areas of investigation form the starting point for the inventory of habitat conditions and enhancement opportunities.

Ecological characteristics including: stream channel descriptions, riparian cover, species presence, and water quality will be ascertained. Opportunities for channel maintenance and enhancement will be assessed and suitable treatments recommended. Potential projects will be assessed relative to other opportunities to provide a basis for selecting and advancing particular opportunities.

Before implementation, potential projects are likely to require additional assessment, depending on complexity and potential to disrupt current ecological functioning. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has conducted numerous enhancement projects in the VRMAC lands. This project will inventory and assess the current condition of these projects. Actual implementation of any of these opportunities is outside the scope of this project.

The report will provide a map or maps showing the location and extent of features as well as data collected from each site together with a preliminary discussion of suitable strategy or treatment for each site. The City also proposes to share information and project resources with Sto:lo First Nations who are concurrently looking at opportunities to enhance access to Chum salmon for food. Because of the existing management structure and levels of activity in this watershed, the probability of the best of these projects being implemented is high.


OBJECTIVES

  • Identify and prioritize habitat enhancement opportunities within the VRMA
  • Characterize each of the eight delineated areas of the VRMA, identifying key habitat areas for protection (size, habitat features)
  • Identify possible maintenance opportunities for previously constructed habitat enhancements
  • Clearly communicate conditions, habitat values and enhancement opportunities in the VRMA lands to members of VRMAC and other interested parties

METHODS

Research:
* Contact persons who have been or are actively involved with fishery issues in the Vedder Lands.
* Identify and review documentation on past enhancement works
* Identify and review outstanding project plans
* Review available reports on ecological conditions outside of the active channel of the Vedder River
* Evaluate information on ground water conditions in the area
* Review of similar projects

Field Work:
Eight discrete areas between the active channel and the outer dikes within the VRMAC lands have been identified for investigation:
1. Giesbrecht sidechannel (Vedder River Campground to Giesbrecht stockpile).
2. Street Creek and associated ponds and wetland
3. Brown Road Habitat Ponds downstream to Street Creek area
4. South side relief channel for the railway bridge: “Trestle Channel”
5. Old Yarrow Water Works channel
6. Salwein Creek downstream of the blue heron ponds
7. Relief Structure and associated ponds and channels
8. Peach Creek

Field investigation of main features, such as abandoned channels and tributary streams will occur within each of these eight areas. Data collection will include:
* GPS locations of key features such as blockages, groundwater inputs, beaver dams, etc.
* water quality data (dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature)
* channel characteristics such as depth, width, flow, substrate, and riparian cover
* plant species inventory
* fish presence data
* At strategic locations where enhancement potential or ecological sensitivity appears high, or where significant groundwater influence is evident, stations for future water level and quality monitoring will be established. VRMAC surveyors will pick up elevations of key locations as directed by the project manager.

Mapping:
Existing air photos and base maps will be used to allow features evaluated to be plotted and further assessed. Maps will be developed for inclusion in the report to ensure that values and opportunities identified are well described and referenced. MNRO has contributed in-kind mapping services for this project.

Analysis:
Utilize maps in conjunction with field data to provide an assessment of current ecological value, fishery use and enhancement opportunities. Identify suitable management strategies, conceptual approaches for enhancement, and a basis for protection of key habitats.

Reporting:
A detailed report describing findings will be prepared.  A power point presentation of results will be made to VRMAC and will be available to other interested groups.

BENEFITS

Vedder chum salmon are an important contributor in terms of diversity and total numbers of the Lower Fraser Chum Stocks. The focus of this project is identifying areas for habitat improvement, maintenance, or protection that are beneficial, in particular, for rearing coho and chum spawning. Highly modified riverine habitat areas are often characterized by cut off channels, poor water quality and reduced productivity from historical levels. There is potential within the Vedder River Management Area for improved fish access and water quality in many off-channel locations. The identification, characterization, and documentation of these areas is a crucial step in the process of improving this vital habitat.

The Vedder has physical features from old abandoned channels, as well as available groundwater, providing a high probability of identifying viable habitat enhancement opportunities and areas suited for protection. Protecting, maintaining and enhancing habitat features will result in improved long-term sustainability for these stocks.

VRMAC members and other local stewardship groups will benefit from a clearer understanding of the fish habitat conditions within the VRMA. The report resulting from this project can be used to inform decisions about the management of VRMA lands. It can also be used by various stakeholders to implement habitat enhancement activities in an economical, informed and prioritized manner.

The VRMAC administers habitat enhancement activities concurrently with flood control activities within the active channels of the Vedder River on a biannual basis. Habitat enhancement opportunities identified through this project have a high probability of being implemented as they will offer an alternative to current enhancement activities that are typically limited to the active floodway.