Watershed Evaluation of Beneficial Management Practices (WEBs)

Year 2010
Proponent Fraser Basin Council Society
Project type Habitat
FSWP funding source Living Rivers
Grant amount $55,000.00
Total project value $147,950.00
ID number FSWP10-LR74-H

Location: Thompson, Salmon River Watershed

Project Summary

SUMMARY

This project will build community awareness and support for irrigation Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the Salmon River watershed.  The project will focus on the use of climate stations as a practical tool to enhance irrigation efficiency, thereby benefiting both forage producers in the watershed (by saving labour and cost of pumping water) and the river ecosystem (more water for fish and downstream users).  This project builds on work already completed in the watershed in the area of farm BMPs, capitalizes on a strong network already established, and will make use of community champions to build support for irrigation efficiency.

OVERVIEW

Historically, the Salmon River is one of the greatest salmon rivers in the Interior of BC but in recent years, return has dwindled.  Today, the Salmon River Valley is a highly productive and diverse agricultural area and is currently experiencing growth and consequently having increased pressure on the aquatic resources.  One of the challenges facing producers and other users of the aquatic resource are the summertime low-flows.  Hydrologic records indicate that that diversion of water from the Salmon River for irrigation during summer low-flows conflicts with salmon migration and reproduction; furthermore, there have been times when irrigation was restricted (e.g. 2003 and 2009) to meet ecological needs of the river which is a great impediment to local area producers.  Additionally, there are anticipated changes in the irrigation regulatory framework, localized effects of climate change, and approved increases in electricity prices for irrigation pumping costs.  This is a critical problem that needs a solution, particularly as the Pacific salmon fishery is declining and the agriculture industry in BC is down-sizing due to urban sprawl, limited local facilities, low return on investment, and cutbacks in government support.

This project aims to create a win-win situation for both agricultural and ecological users of the Salmon River watershed.  By implementing a network of climate stations on farms within the Salmon Valley, coupled with an intensive education and outreach campaign on the practical use and application of climate data to maximize irrigation efficiency, the forage producers in the Salmon Valley will ultimately achieve greater irrigation efficiency at a watershed scale.  This will benefit the river by leaving more water in the river for fish, and will benefit producers by maximizing the efficiency of their irrigation thereby reducing the cost and labour associated with irrigating.  Changes in irrigation practices undertaken by the producer may include altering the timing and frequency of irrigation, and/or changing the tools used for irrigation.

This project leverages work on farm BMPs already done (2004 - 2008) and new work funded for 2009 - 2013 in the Salmon River watershed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as well as work undertaken by the Fraser Basin Council on climate stations throughout the Interior of BC.  Many of the relationships and lessons learned from past projects will be applied to the current project.

This is a one-year project with discrete deliverables.  However, it is important to clearly articulate how this project links to a multi-year project that is being led by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in partnership with FBC.  AAFC has worked in the Salmon River watershed, researching the effects of farm BMPs (e.g. riparian fencing and off-stream watering) at a watershed-wide scale, since 2004.  Starting in 2009, the focus of AAFC’s research has changed to examine the benefits of implementing irrigation BMPs.

From 2009 - 2013, AAFC will undertake a rigorous research study on the watershed-wide scale effects of irrigation BMPs in the Salmon River watershed.  Their study will specifically look at biophysical (e.g. hydrologic flow) and economic impacts of irrigation management technologies at a farm level, and scaled to a watershed landscape level using a GIS land use inventory and tools developed by BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the University of Victoria.  For the duration of this time, FBC is working with AAFC to administer portions of the WEBs project.

For 2010/11, FBC is partnering with AAFC to enhance the project by undertaking the community work of establishing a climate station network within the Valley.  Specifically, FBC’s complementary role in this project will be to build community support and awareness for irrigation BMPs, conduct a education/outreach campaign, support agriculture irrigation champions, and do broad outreach on irrigation BMPs and highlight the successes specific to the Salmon River watershed.  This component of the project is critical to the overall success of implementing irrigation BMPs in the Salmon Valley, as it will get it started on the right foot and build momentum.

OBJECTIVES

Objective #1 Engage and educate forage producers in the Salmon River Valley on the practical use and benefits of climate stations, and the application of climate data (e.g. solar radiation, precipitation, soil moisture) to achieve irrigation efficiency at the farm level
Objective #2 Seek participation to implement a network of approximately 6 climate stations throughout the Salmon Valley (with the ultimate goal of implementing 15 stations to the end of 2013)
Objective #3 Identify, synthesize, and promote the activities and results achieved in the Salmon Valley for agricultural producers and salmon in three different formats (regional, provincial, and national scales)


METHODS

Needs and Opportunities Assessment Report
Fraser Basin Council will collect information from agricultural producers presently using climate stations in the Interior of BC.  Specifically, we will: 1. Develop a distribution list of producers; 2. Develop, in collaboration with project partners, a series of questions to test with producers on the use, benefits, and limitations of climate stations and the application of climate data to irrigation practices; 3. Develop and execute an online survey based on the finalized questions; 4. Conduct a series of telephone and in-person interviews to cross-validate the findings of the online survey; 5. Prepare the Needs and Opportunities Report and distribute it to project partners and interested parties for review and comment.  The finalized report will be used to help develop key messages for non-participating agricultural producers, to solicit their participation, and to inform the future development of climate station networks in the Salmon Valley and across Canada.

Salmon Valley Engagement Workshops and Site Evaluations
Based on the findings of the Needs and Opportunities Report, a series of community workshops and site evaluations will be held in the Salmon Valley to demonstrate the use of climate stations to local forage producers and the application of climate data for maximum irrigation efficiency.  The workshops and site evaluations will incorporate a peer-based awareness-raising model where agricultural producers learn from their peers about the use of climate stations and their benefits (i.e. agriculture irrigation “champions”).

Establish a Climate Station Network in the Salmon Valley
The Fraser Basin Council is well-positioned to recruit new potential climate stations users, as we already have established relationships in collaboration with AAFC and the Salmon River Watershed Roundtable with the Salmon Valley community.  The community workshops will be a very good opportunity to make connections and develop relationships with producers in the area, which will facilitate the establishment of a climate station network within the Valley.  Climate stations will be built right on the farm of approximately 15 producers.

Media Campaign and Ongoing Communications
We will produce a variety of communications media about past and present activities in the Salmon Valley with a particular focus on irrigation BMPs.  This will include press releases for local newspapers, hosting field days, writing articles for strategic industry audiences, and exploring options for raising awareness at a national scale (e.g. National Network of Living Laboratories).  We will maintain project communications and updates with key members of government, including local First Nations, industry associations (e.g. BC Cattlemen’s Association), and stewardship groups.

BENEFITS

As mentioned in Section 3, the Salmon River has a reputation of being one of the greatest salmon rivers in the Interior of BC.  However, diversions of water for irrigation have been one of the significant factors hindering the migration and reproduction of salmon in the river.  By achieving greater irrigation efficiency within the agricultural community of the Salmon Valley (and thereby contributing to the overall sustainability of the industry), there will be more water left in the river for salmon and other ecological needs and downstream users.


Engage First Nations, government agencies and community groups/NGOs

First Nations are among the agricultural producers in the Salmon Valley.  They will be included in all communications related to the project, invited to workshops, and their participation in the climate station network will be solicited.

Government agencies will be engaged.  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is a key partner in this project; BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands will also play an important role providing technical expertise and the use of their Water Demand Model and Irrigation Calculator.

The key community group/NGO in this project will be the Salmon River Watershed Roundtable through a formalized partnership with AAFC.  They will be an important liaison for communicating with local forage producers.  They will also provide technical expertise to the project, including the installation of climate stations, monitoring of hydrologic flow, etc.

Complement or implement local and / or regional plans (e.g., recovery plans, watershed plans)

This project, and in fact the greater WEBs project led by AAFC, is very complementary to the Salmon River Watershed Plan which was developed by the Roundtable and has the support of multiple stakeholders.

This project is also in line with goals of the Living Water Smart Provincial Water Plan, which identifies irrigation efficiency within the agricultural industry as an opportunity for achieving greater water conservation and providing water for salmon and ecosystems.

Value-added aspects

This project, by its very nature, is value-added because it builds on years of work done in the Salmon Valley and capitalizes on solid working relationships with local forage producers and community groups. 
Furthermore, this project will strengthen relationships between the agricultural community and government agencies and will work for the benefit of the agriculture industry which is currently experiencing economic hardship and minimal institutional support.



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