| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
The purpose of this report is to present background information and survey results for river erosion assessments conducted at selected lower Klappan stream crossings and road encroachments. In September 2007, Suskwa Research was retained by the Klabona Keepers Society to assess various sites in the lower Klappan drainage that have been impacted by either BC Rail construction or recent snowmelt flooding. This assessment is part of a larger sub-regional effort to provide baseline information to support the Klabona Land Stewardship Plan process. The primary objective of this project is to focus on Sites 1 to 5 as delineated by Shell Canada and additional sites upstream on Klappan River. Site 1 is a historic landslide located at 24.5 km just downstream of the Klappan River crossing. Site 2 is the northern approach to Klappan River Bridge crossing. Site 3 is an unnamed creek crossing the BC Rail grade at 26.5 km. Site 4 is a unnamed creek crossing the BC Rail grade at approximately 27.5 km. Site 5 is a 300 m in width section of the BC Rail grade which has been eroded by Klappan River at 29 km. In aggregate, Klabona Keepers’ view the cumulative works identified as Sites 1 to 5, as well as the other sites identified in the Shell materials such as the “Big Eddy” site, as a major project. Water quality in the Klappan River has been compromised as a result of BC Rail construction activities. The rail grade is located on the northern floodplain for much of its length. Construction practices (rip-rapping) effectively reduced the lateral movement of the river in some floodplain areas, blocking off some of the floodplain and many side and back channels. Chronic erosion is due to failing hillslopes, stream banks, and a lack of erosion control measures. These impacts could be mitigated by implementing bank erosion measures such as applying revegetation, bioengineering, hydro and dry seeding, mechanical pullback and re-contouring, and installing rock blankets and rip-rap where required. The present physical situation is a result of the connections that exist between the lower Klappan River floodplain and high value fish habitat, the position of the abandoned BC Rail grade, the poor construction practices employed building the grade, the lack of maintenance and monitoring on the grade, and the high snowpack levels in the Klappan drainage that caused overbank flooding in 2007. Sites 1 through 5 are similar in that road maintenance and monitoring required by current B.C. legislation has not occurred. BC Government is neither taking liability for the B.C. Rail grade or its environmental management even though they enabled the construction of it and continue to permit third party interests to use it on an adhoc basis. In turn, Fortune Minerals who holds the Special Use Permit (S24493) and Shell Canada who has been granted road user status are not mitigating the ongoing environmental risks and liabilities associated with the grade. Klabona Keepers believes it is in the best interests of local First Nations and the B.C. Government to discuss the overall Klappan development issue and move forward on establishing suitable and equitable socio-economic solutions. There is a clear and compelling need for planning that takes into account First Nation values and interests, adequate levels of environmental management, and how land and resources are to be used. Discussions between Klabona Keepers and the B.C. Government in early 2007 in regard to the environmental problems on the grade and the restoration efforts needed to mitigate fish passage and sediment control concerns did not advance due to the government no-liability position. Klabona Keepers has documented 25 additional sites affected by the B.C. Rail grade in the Klappan drainage that need to rehabilitated. There is an emerging consensus that environmental management in the Klappan needs to be conducted differently to avoid the conceptual conflicts that are endemic to the current approach. The current approach may serve the public interest less in the future as First Nations and regional communities demand healthy ecosystems and sustainable development values. |
