| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
Mission Creek is the largest tributary of Okanagan Lake and is part of the Columbia River drainage system. It flows westward into the lake at the City of Kelowna from the Okanagan Highland, draining a total area of about 830 km2. The elevation at the mouth is 342 m and the elevation of the highest point in the watershed (Little White Mountain) is 2170 m, giving a relative basin relief of 1828 m. Monthly mean discharge of Mission Creek at East Kelowna, about eight kilometres from the mouth. As indicated by the large late springt early summer flow peak, much of the annual flow is derived from snowmelt in the upper watershed. The bedrock geology of the Mission basin includes sedimentary (siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate), igneous (grey intermediate volcanic flows, andesite & basaltic flows), and metamorphic rocks (granitic gneiss) (Greenough and Roed, 1995). Soils include brunisols, chemozems, luvisols and podzols (Luttmerding, 1995). In 1994 the Mission Creek watershed was selected for inclusion in the provincial Watershed Restoration Program (WRP). fisheries, aquatic habitat, salmonids, spawning, watershed assessment, riparian |
