Citation | Epps, D. 2008. Water quality assessment and objectives for the McKelvie Creek community watershed: Technical Report. BC Ministry of Environment. |
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Organization | Ministry of Environment |
URL | http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/mckelvie-creek/mckelvie-tech.pdf |
Abstract/Description or Keywords | The Ministry of Environment is conducting a program to assess water quality in designated community watersheds. Community watersheds are defined under the Forest Practices Code Act of BC as “the drainage area above the point of diversion and which are licensed under the Water Act for waterworks purposes”. These watersheds are generally small (<500 km2 ) and the stream response times are short with minimal opportunities for dilution or settling. The purpose of this program is to accumulate the baseline data necessary to assess water quality and to establish ambient water quality objectives on an individual community watershed basis. Water quality objectives provide policy direction for resource managers, serve as a guide for issuing permits, licences, and orders by the Ministry of Environment, and establish benchmarks for assessing the Ministry’s performance in protecting water quality. There are over 60 community watersheds within the Vancouver Island Region of the Ministry of Environment. Rather than developing water quality objectives for each of the watersheds on an individual basis, an ecoregion approach has been implemented. The ecoregion areas are based on the ecosections developed by Demarchi (1996). However, for ease of communication with a wide range of stakeholders the term “ecoregion” has been adopted by Vancouver Island MOE regional staff. Thus, the Vancouver Island Region has been split into 11 terrestrial ecoregions (six on Vancouver Island), based on similar climate, geology, soils, hydrology etc. (Figure 1). Due to accessibility and holding time of samples only the six ecoregions on Vancouver Island are being considered at this time. Fundamental baseline water quality should be similar in all streams and all lakes throughout each ecoregion. However, the underlying physical, chemical and biological differences between streams and lakes must be recognized. Representative lake and stream watersheds within each ecoregion are selected (initially stream focused) and a three year monitoring program is implemented to collect water quality and quantity data, as well as biological data. Standard base monitoring programs have been established for use in streams and lakes, to maximize data comparability between watersheds and among ecoregions, regardless of location. This report examines the existing water quality of McKelvie Creek and recommends water quality objectives for this watershed based on potential impacts and water quality parameters of concern. McKelvie Creek, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is a second-order stream, 10.2 km in length, draining into the Tahsis River just north of the Village of Tahsis, BC. The portion of the watershed designated as a community watershed is 2,111 ha in area, and includes the upper portion of McKelvie Creek above the Village of Tahsis water intake (Figure 2). The intake is located approximately 1 km upstream from the confluence of McKelvie Creek and the Tahsis River. McKelvie Creek has significant fisheries values, with steelhead present in the creek, and likely a number of other species as well (FISS 2005). Anthropogenic land uses within the watershed include timber harvesting and recreation which, in addition to natural erosion and wildlife, can potentially affect water quality in McKelvie Creek. One water quality monitoring location was selected within the McKelvie Creek watershed. Site E230718 is located upstream from the main water intake (Figure 2). Water samples were collected once in early 1998, five times in early 1999, five times in the fall of 2001, on an almost monthly basis from July 2002 to June 2005, and weekly for five consecutive weeks during the summer low flow and fall high flow period from 2002 to 2004. Water samples were then sent to a laboratory for analyses of fecal coliforms, E. coli, turbidity, non-filterable residue, temperature, true colour, specific conductivity, pH, nitrate and nitrite, total phosphorus, and metals concentrations. Continuous monitoring data was collected from June 2003 to December 2004. Parameters monitored were turbidity, conductivity, and temperature. The project consisted of five phases: water quality data collection, gathering information on water use, determination of land use activities that may influence water quality, assessment of water quality based on land use influences and establishment of water quality objectives. |
Information Type | report |
Regional Watershed | Vancouver Island North |
Sub-watershed if known | McKelvie Creek, Tahsis River |
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Comments | |
Project status | complete |
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