Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Douglas, T. 2007. Lower Coquitlam River fish habitat and flooding assessment. Prepared for Watershed Watch Salmon Society and Kwikwetlem First Nation. |
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| Organization | Watershed Watch Salmon Society |
| URL | http://a100.gov.bc.ca/appsdata/acat/documents/r40706/07.COQ.01_Flooding_asses_1388675232275_8673845708.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | A hydro dam, urban and agricultural development, and dikes have drastically altered the Coquitlam River. Adjacent gravel pits are also believed to be long-term negative influences. Off-channel habitat restoration projects have been undertaken in recent decades to improve conditions for fish. However, restoration work on the lower river (defined here as the 6.5 kilometres between the CP Rail Bridge and the river mouth) has been limited. For this project, the Kwikwetlem First Nation and Watershed Watch Salmon Society facilitated a restoration assessment of the lower river, with the following goals: 1. Develop working relationships. Working relationships between the interests and stakeholders in the Lower Coquitlam River are necessary to enable restoration work to proceed. 2. Develop restoration prescriptions. The main deliverable of this project was a set of restoration prescriptions to enable habitat restoration (mainly but not exclusively for fish) to be carried out in the short and longer-term. A great deal of existing information was reviewed and summarized for this project, and a project initiation meeting was held that included 24 individuals from 16 different organizations. Subsequent field visits were made to assess the mainstem of the river, offchannel and riparian areas, and drainage on Colony Farm. Non-standard dikes along the river were another focus of this project, as they are seen to degrade fish and wildlife habitat. An experienced hydrologist was part of the project team to ensure any proposed changes to dikes would not increase flooding risks. The mainstem river is highly altered and lacks large woody debris and other forms of complexity. With the exception of the upper one kilometre of the study area, gravel substrate is scarce to non-existent. Riparian habitat is poor in most of Colony Farm and riparian conifers are very scarce throughout the study area. River floodplain access is limited by dikes for most of the study area. A total of 14 recommendations were developed as a result of this assessment. The recommendations are: 1. Complete tidal channels in the Sheep Paddocks 2. Construct tidal channels on upper Wilson Farm 3. Conduct wildlife and vegetation monitoring at the Sheep Paddocks Phase 1 project 4. Improve instream complexity 5. Monitor and assess the oxbow on IR#2, remove constriction 6. Consider the cost vs. benefit of non-standard dike maintenance 7. Investigate water quality 8. Reduce and control invasive exotic species 9. Take a watershed approach to stream health 10. Create outreach and educational opportunities 11. Work with Riverview property owner to conserve and improve habitat 12. Take a closer look at fish-bearing channels and ditches in southern Colony Farm 13. Review the fish habitat compensation project to determine whether access to and from the mainstem should be improved 14. Work with gravel pit operators to reduce sediment inputs |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Lower Fraser |
| Sub-watershed if known | Coquitlam River |
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| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
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