| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
A baseline hydrological monitoring program was initiated in the Schaft Creek area in 2006. In 2007 and 2008, hydrological monitoring continued in the area within the Schaft Creek and Mess Creek watersheds. This report presents the methods, results and analyses of hydrometric data collected in the Schaft Creek Project area in 2008. Results from 2006 and 2007 monitoring have been reported previously (RTEC 2007, 2008 respectively). At each station an automated pressure transducer and data logger recorded water level readings every ten minutes. The automated monitoring period extended from late April to late November, except for the HC-1 station, which remained active during the previous (2007/2008) winter period. In total, 48 manual flow measurements were conducted employing the velocity-area and salt dilution techniques. At each monitoring station, previously-established stage-discharge rating curves were updated. Annual runoff (Table ES-1) was observed to range from 1,870 mm (HC-1) to 400 mm (SK-2) across the Project area. Except for HC-1, runoff values were the lowest since the inception of the monitoring program in 2006. For most stations, the majority of the annual runoff occurred in June, July, and August with up to 69% of flow occurring in this period (Table ES-2). The annual peak flow recorded at the lower elevations stations (SCTR-1, SK-1, and SK 2) was due to a spring snowmelt event in late May. The annual peak flow recorded at the higher elevations stations (HC-1, SC-2, SCTR-2, SCTR-3, and MESS-1) occurred later in the season, and was the result of a sustained rainfall event combined with residual snowmelt, and glacier melt in mid August (Table ES-3). Annual low flows (Table ES-4) across the Project area occurred during the winter when the majority of available water was stored within the snowpack. Bathymetric surveys were conducted at Skeeter and Start Lakes, in September 2008. The Skeeter Lake average depth was 14.5 m, and a total volume of 8.77 Mm3 . The average depth of Start Lake was 5.8 m, and the lake volume was 1.32 Mm3 . |
