| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
This report assesses the water quality of Upper Fraser River, Moose Lake to Hope. The report has two parts : an overview report and a technical report. The overview provides general information about water quality in the main stem of the Fraser River from Moose Lake to Hope in three main River reaches. These reaches are from Moose Lake to Tete Jaune Cache, from Tete Jaune Cache to the Nechako River confluence, and from the Nechako River confluence to Hope. The technical appendix presents details of a recent water quality assessment for these reaches and forms the basis for recommendations and objectives presented in the overview. The overview is intended for both technical readers and others who may not be familiar with the process of setting water quality objectives. Separate tables listing water quality objectives and monitoring recommendations are included for those readers requiring data about these waterbodies. A separate report will be published on water quality objectives for the Fraser River from Hope to Sturgeon and Roberts Banks. The Fraser River is home to both resident and anadromous species of fish. There are 26 species of resident fish documented as being in the Fraser River above Hope, with most species being in the river as far north as the Chilcotin River. Salmonid species are present in large numbers and make the Fraser River a world-class system for these fish species. Runs have increased during the 1980s for all species of salmon in the River. This same decade had the largest average runs for chinook, chum, and sockeye salmon. Consistent achievement of water quality objectives in the Fraser River is critical for the continued success and sustainability of the Fraser's salmon resource. Most water contamination in the River above Hope is related to treated wastewater discharges from pulp and paper mills located at Prince George and Quesnel as well as treated municipal sewage discharges from Prince George, Williams Lake, Quesnel, Lytton, and Lillooet. Flows from the Thompson River, a tributary to the Fraser, carry the treated wastewater from a pulp mill and a municipal sewage discharge from the City of Kamloops. This report describes the specific Water Quality Objectives recommended to protect aquatic life, wildlife, livestock watering, irrigation, and drinking water supplies in all three reaches of the Fraser River Basin from Moose Lake to Hope. The objectives have been prepared for Environment Managers for use in determining the effectiveness of different pollution prevention controls which are being used. The Fraser River drains about one-quarter of the Province of British Columbia, and extends from the Alberta-British Columbia border in the north and east, to the estuary and the River confluence with the Strait of Georgia, in the south and west of the Province (see Figure 1). The purpose of this report was to develop Water Quality Objectives in the Fraser River from Hope to Moose Lake to provide policy direction to resource and environment managers for the protection of designated uses of waterbodies within the stretch of the waterbody defined by this report. Others that may find the information useful include environmental scientists and other agency staff including regulators, habitat biologists, and water quality specialists. The public will also find the Water Quality Objectives useful for assessing the health of their environment, articulating concerns about existing uses of resources in their environment, and monitoring the performance of various government agencies cooperating to maintain acceptable high levels of water quality in the Fraser River Basin. Attached : Technical report Overview report found at : http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/wq_objectives.html |
