Water Stewardship Information Sources
| ID | 1243 |
|---|---|
| Citation | McGrath, E, Wei, A and Nichol, C. 2010. Salmonid distribution in relation to stream temperatures in Fortune Creek, British Columbia: The influence of surface water and groundwater interactions. Submitted to the Pacific Salmon Foundation. |
| Organization | UBCO |
| URL | http://www.thinksalmon.com/reports/FSWP_09_D_24_Final_Report_Appendix_A_-_Fish.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | Streamsﾠthroughoutﾠtheﾠsemi?aridﾠsouthernﾠinterior ofﾠBritishﾠColumbiaﾠ(BC)ﾠareﾠparticularlyﾠsusceptibleﾠ toﾠhighﾠwaterﾠtemperaturesﾠdueﾠto aﾠwarmﾠsummerﾠclimate,ﾠnaturallyﾠlowﾠsummerﾠflows,ﾠandﾠprolongedﾠ droughtﾠperiodsﾠinﾠ theﾠsummerﾠ (Walthersﾠ&ﾠNener,ﾠ2000). Extensiveﾠagriculturalﾠactivityﾠinﾠ theﾠvalleys andﾠanﾠincreasingﾠpopulationﾠbaseﾠresultﾠinﾠhighﾠwaterﾠdemandﾠonﾠstreams,ﾠthat frequentlyﾠleadsﾠtoﾠlowﾠ streamflowﾠvolumes. Waterﾠdemandﾠisﾠhighﾠforﾠirrigationﾠofﾠagriculturalﾠfieldsﾠandﾠorchards,ﾠwateringﾠofﾠlivestock,ﾠasﾠwellﾠasﾠ forﾠ industrialﾠ andﾠ domesticﾠ purposes.ﾠ Waterﾠ usersﾠ impactﾠ streamsﾠ throughﾠ directﾠ surfaceﾠ waterﾠ withdrawalﾠ andﾠpotentiallyﾠ alsoﾠ byﾠ groundwaterﾠ pumping,ﾠ whichﾠ canﾠ leadﾠ toﾠ aﾠ loweringﾠ ofﾠ theﾠ waterﾠ tableﾠandﾠaﾠsubsequentﾠreductionﾠinﾠstreamﾠbaseflows. SummerﾠwaterﾠtemperaturesﾠinﾠstreamsﾠthroughoutﾠtheﾠsouthernﾠinteriorﾠofﾠBCﾠfrequentlyﾠapproachﾠtheﾠ upperﾠthermalﾠlimitsﾠofﾠtheﾠsalmonidﾠspeciesﾠinhabitingﾠthemﾠ (Mathewsﾠetﾠal.,ﾠ2007). Thereﾠisﾠconcernﾠ forﾠ theﾠ sustainedﾠexistenceﾠofﾠsomeﾠ salmonidﾠpopulationsﾠinﾠ thisﾠ regionﾠandﾠhighﾠwaterﾠ temperaturesﾠ areﾠthoughtﾠtoﾠbeﾠaﾠlimitingﾠfactorﾠ(Walthersﾠ&ﾠNener,ﾠ2000). Inﾠlightﾠofﾠthisﾠissue,ﾠvariousﾠmanagementﾠ strategiesﾠhaveﾠbeenﾠconsideredﾠtoﾠensureﾠsummerﾠstreamﾠtemperaturesﾠremainﾠwithinﾠrangesﾠthatﾠcanﾠ beﾠtoleratedﾠbyﾠsalmonids.ﾠ Aﾠ commonﾠstrategyﾠisﾠ theﾠ re?vegetationﾠ ofﾠ streamﾠ banksﾠ toﾠincreaseﾠshadeﾠandﾠ reduceﾠ theﾠ solarﾠload reachingﾠtheﾠstreamﾠsurface. Anotherﾠisﾠtheﾠreleaseﾠofﾠwaterﾠfromﾠupstreamﾠreservoirs,ﾠwhichﾠhasﾠbeenﾠ demonstratedﾠtoﾠleadﾠtoﾠdownstreamﾠcoolingﾠ(Guﾠetﾠal.,ﾠ1998). However,ﾠthisﾠoptionﾠcanﾠbeﾠdifficultﾠtoﾠ implement.ﾠ Waterﾠdemandﾠisﾠhighﾠandﾠwaterﾠlicensesﾠonﾠmanyﾠinteriorﾠstreamsﾠareﾠfullyﾠallocatedﾠ(BCﾠ MinistryﾠofﾠWater,ﾠLandﾠandﾠAirﾠProtection,ﾠ2002). Additionalﾠwaterﾠduringﾠtheﾠlowﾠflowﾠseasonﾠcomesﾠ fromﾠ storageﾠ inﾠ reservoirs,ﾠ whichﾠ wereﾠ constructedﾠ toﾠ provideﾠ waterﾠ forﾠ anthropogenicﾠ purposes. Consequently,ﾠusingﾠstoredﾠwaterﾠfor conservationﾠpurposesﾠcanﾠconflictﾠwithﾠhumanﾠwaterﾠusesﾠwhereﾠ littleﾠwaterﾠisﾠavailable.ﾠﾠ Mostﾠ ofﾠ theﾠ waterﾠ flowingﾠ inﾠ streamsﾠ originatesﾠ fromﾠ groundwaterﾠ duringﾠ baseflowﾠ conditions.ﾠ Groundwaterﾠintrusionﾠthroughﾠtheﾠstreamﾠbedﾠprovidesﾠareasﾠofﾠstableﾠtemperatureﾠregimeﾠinﾠsummerﾠ andﾠwinter,ﾠensuresﾠstreamﾠbaseflows,ﾠprovidesﾠice?freeﾠhabitatﾠinﾠwinter,ﾠandﾠprovidesﾠnutrientﾠinputﾠtoﾠ streamsﾠ (Powerﾠ etﾠ al.,ﾠ 1999). Consequently,ﾠ groundwaterﾠ playsﾠ severalﾠ importantﾠ rolesﾠ inﾠ theﾠ maintenanceﾠofﾠfishﾠpopulationsﾠinﾠmanyﾠstreams. Theﾠ roleﾠ ofﾠ groundwaterﾠ seepsﾠ inﾠmoderatingﾠ streamﾠ temperaturesﾠ andﾠ providingﾠ thermalﾠ refugeﾠ forﾠ temperatureﾠ stressedﾠ salmonidsﾠ hasﾠ beenﾠ discussedﾠ inﾠ theﾠ contextﾠ ofﾠ salmonidsﾠ persistingﾠ inﾠ streamsﾠ consideredﾠunsuitablyﾠwarmﾠ(Ebersoleﾠetﾠal.,ﾠ2001;ﾠNielsenﾠetﾠal.,ﾠ1994;ﾠBairdﾠ&ﾠKrueger,ﾠ2003;ﾠTobias,ﾠ 2006).ﾠInﾠ theﾠBCﾠinterior,ﾠgroundwaterﾠandﾠsurfaceﾠwaterﾠinteractionsﾠandﾠ theirﾠimpactﾠonﾠ fishﾠhabitatﾠ haveﾠ beenﾠ identifiedﾠ asﾠ anﾠ importantﾠ knowledgeﾠ gapﾠforﾠ understandingﾠ howﾠ theﾠendangeredﾠInteriorﾠ FraserﾠCohoﾠsalmonﾠuseﾠtheirﾠavailableﾠhabitatﾠandﾠwhatﾠmayﾠbeﾠtheﾠcauseﾠofﾠdeclineﾠinﾠtheirﾠabundanceﾠ (InteriorﾠFraserﾠCohoﾠRecoveryﾠTeam,ﾠ2006). Theﾠ Pacificﾠ Salmonﾠ Foundationﾠ hasﾠ expressedﾠ concernﾠ overﾠ theﾠ persistenceﾠ ofﾠ salmonidsﾠ inﾠ Fortuneﾠ Creek,ﾠ aﾠ smallﾠ streamﾠ inﾠ BC'sﾠ southernﾠ interior.ﾠ Fortuneﾠ Creekﾠ isﾠ aﾠ regulatedﾠsystemﾠ thatﾠservesﾠ asﾠ aﾠ2 waterﾠsupplyﾠforﾠapproximatelyﾠ4,500ﾠresidences andﾠvariousﾠirrigationﾠusersﾠfromﾠtheﾠCityﾠofﾠArmstrongﾠ andﾠ Townshipﾠ ofﾠ Spallumcheenﾠ inﾠ theﾠ Northﾠ Okanagan.ﾠ Theﾠ creekﾠ providesﾠ importantﾠ habitatﾠ forﾠ residentﾠ rainbowﾠ trout (Oncorhynchusﾠ mykiss),ﾠ juvenileﾠ cohoﾠ (Oncorhynchusﾠ kisutch)ﾠ andﾠ Chinookﾠ salmonﾠ (Oncorhynchusﾠ tshawytscha).ﾠ Lowﾠ flows,ﾠ high waterﾠ temperatures,ﾠ andﾠ declinesﾠ inﾠ salmonidﾠ numbersﾠhaveﾠ beenﾠ documentedﾠinﾠ theﾠ creek,ﾠandﾠwaterﾠmanagementﾠinﾠ theﾠwatershedﾠ hasﾠ becomeﾠ increasinglyﾠ difficultﾠ (Seebacherﾠ etﾠ al.,ﾠ 2007).ﾠ Aﾠ scopingﾠ studyﾠ hasﾠ identifiedﾠ surfaceﾠ waterﾠ andﾠ groundwaterﾠ interactionsﾠ asﾠ theﾠ highestﾠ priorityﾠ issueﾠ toﾠ beﾠ examinedﾠ inﾠ theﾠ creek,ﾠ followedﾠ byﾠ highﾠ waterﾠ temperaturesﾠ andﾠ lowﾠ streamflowsﾠ (Seebacherﾠ etﾠ al.,ﾠ 2007). Theseﾠ conditionsﾠ makeﾠ Fortuneﾠ Creekﾠsuitableﾠforﾠstudyingﾠtheﾠinfluenceﾠofﾠgroundwaterﾠandﾠsurfaceﾠwaterﾠinteractionsﾠonﾠfishﾠhabitatﾠandﾠtheﾠpotentialﾠforﾠgroundwaterﾠtoﾠprovideﾠthermalﾠreliefﾠtoﾠsalmonids.ﾠﾠ |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Shuswap |
| Sub-watershed if known | Fortune Creek |
| Aquifer # | |
| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
| Contact Name | Adam Wei |
| Contact Email | [email protected] |