Water Stewardship Information Sources
| Citation | Ennis, G. 2009. North American salmon stronghold partnership: Harrison Basin certification application. Prepared for Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. |
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| Organization | Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council |
| URL | http://www.wildsalmoncenter.org/pdf/Harrison%20Stronghold%20Assessment%20and%20Proposal.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | Located Within the Fraser River Watershed in Southern British Columbia: 3 maps attached. Basin/Watershed: See Attached Maps. The proposed Harrison River Stronghold is the key downstream portion of the Lillooet-Birkenhead and Harrison Rivers basins (map 1). The Harrison system is located within British Columbia’s Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone (Krajina, 1965). It is also a key component of the Fraser River Salmon Ecoregion (North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership, unpublished). The main features of the proposed Harrison River Stronghold are Harrison Lake, the Chehalis River, Weaver Creek and the Harrison River (map 2). Important upstream tributaries draining into Harrison Lake include Big Silver Creek and Cogburn Creek. The Harrison River is a short but large tributary flowing southwest from Harrison Lake for 16.5 km, entering the Fraser River 116 km upstream from Georgia Strait (map 3). The Harrison River is navigable but has small rapids and difficult water downstream of the lake. Further downstream near the confluence with the Fraser the Harrison River widens into a wide backwater, Harrison Bay. In the days of the Fraser Canyon Goldrush (1858 era) there were sandbars at the confluence with the Fraser River that were dredged. The Harrison River has little habitation, is forested most of the way and while crossed by a highway and railroad bridge, it has no road next to the river itself and little disturbance of its riparian zone. There is a highway that connects the town of Harrison Hot Springs, located on Harrison Lake, as well as the nearby town of Agassiz with points south but this highway does not proceed up the lake for any appreciable distance. Like the river, the lake is non-roaded save for some forestry roads that are on the eastern upslopes and not directly next to the lake. Harrison Lake is about 60 km in length and at its widest is almost 9 km across. At its southern end the resort community of Harrison Hot Springs is about 95km east of Vancouver. 2 The Chehalis River is a key tributary to the Harrison River and an important salmon producer. It arises in the mountains west of Statlu Lake. This canyoned river first empties into Statlu Lake, and eventually flows into Chehalis Lake and then the Harrison River. The largest stream entering Harrison Lake (other than the Lillooet River) is Big Silver Creek also known as Big Silver River or Silver River. It has benefited from habitat enhancement work and has had numerous fisheries projects on it over the years. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Lower Fraser |
| Sub-watershed if known | Harrison River |
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| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
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