Water Stewardship Information Sources
| ID | 1447 |
|---|---|
| Citation | Phippen, B. 2004. 2003-2004 Attainment of Proposed Water Quality Objectives for Russell, Hascheak and McDougall Creeks and Turbidity Monitoring on Lone, Bester, Rennie and Axel Creeks. Prepared for Weyerhauser Canada and BC Ministry of Environment. |
| Organization | Ministry of Environment |
| URL | http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/FIA/2004/FIA2004MR031.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | In 1996 the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks initiated water quality and water quantity monitoring projects on the Clearwater Community Watershed, located in the North Thompson, with the objectives of: (1) collecting background water quality and quantity data; (2) establishing water quality objectives to protect various existing water uses; (3) and monitoring for potential future impacts caused by logging activities. The Clearwater Community Watershed consists of three sub-basins: Russell, Hascheak and McDougall creeks. Water from these three creeks is diverted into the Clearwater Reservoir, and supplies the community of Clearwater with approximately half of its total volume of drinking water (the remaining drinking water requirements are met by underground wells). In each of these watersheds, monitoring sites were established for the collection of water samples and staff gauges were installed to determine flow levels and generate discharge curves. In addition to these discrete sampling locations, an automated water quality monitoring station (measuring turbidity, specific conductivity, temperature and water level) was established on Russell Creek in November of 1997 in order to collect continuous water quality and hydrometric data, and calculate total discharge. In June 1999, Weyerhaeuser Canada - Vavenby Division, with funding from Forest Renewal BC, began conducting water quality monitoring on four creeks (Lone, Bester, Rennie and Axel) located south-west of the Russell Creek watershed. Although these creeks are not designated community watersheds, there are a number of water licenses on both Axel and Lone creeks for domestic and irrigation use, and water is also diverted from both Bester and Rennie creeks for these purposes. During the 1996-97 season, water quality monitoring was carried out by the Ministry of Environment in Kamloops. In 1997-98, the project was turned over to Weyerhaeuser Canada Limited, as they hold the timber harvesting rights to the Russell Creek watershed. Weyerhaeuser agreed to oversee the implementation of the monitoring contract for Russell, Hascheak and McDougall Creeks. In 1998-99, the project was transferred to Slocan Forest Products - Vavenby Division, as they were the primary timber licensee in the Hascheak and McDougall watersheds. From 1999 to the present (2004), Weyerhaeuser Canada, Vavenby Division once again agreed to oversee the monitoring contract. This report provides a summary of the water quality monitoring completed by BWP Consulting for the period between April 1 2003 and March 31 2004, and compares results with water quality objectives proposed in the 2002 draft Water Quality Objectives (WQO) report (Phippen, 2002). It is important to note that these objectives are not yet formal Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection policy as the acceptance process for forestry-related WQO reports is still under review. Funding for the water quality monitoring conducted in 2003-04 was provided by the Forest Investment Account (FIA). water quality, turbidity, sediment |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | North Thompson |
| Sub-watershed if known | Russell, Hascheak, McDougall |
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| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
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