North Saanich waterway restoration to include improved fish habitat
Last November, massive storms washed out Chalet Road in North Saanich, B.C., closing it for the past nine months and filling a fish-bearing stream with debris.
Work is now underway to repair the damaged road and restore Chalet Creek to a better state than it was before the flooding.
Once complete, it will make it easier for salmon and trout to reach fresh water and spawn.
"The culvert was re-designed to support fish passage," says Ben Martin, director of infrastructure services for the District of North Saanich. "But also [to] have a high level of climate resiliency in terms of handling larger flows."
The extensive makeover of the storm-ravaged area will feature an arched culvert with an open, fish-friendly bottom and an overflow bypass channel that will divert water in the creek when it rises to a certain level, thus protecting the new habitat.
Other features include a mix of stumps, logs and pools which will help the fish survive in their habitat, creating places to spawn, hide from predators and shelter from the sun.
The restoration is a collaboration between the District of North Saanich and the Peninsula Streams Society, along with support from the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Tseycum First Nation.
"We’ve been working with schools and local stewards for decades now to bring fish back to this creek with varying levels of success," says Ian Bruce, executive coordinator for the Peninsula Streams Society.
“The work that’s being done now as part of the culvert replacement project includes improving more access for fish downstream.”
Bruce says the wall of water that came down the creek during last November’s flooding flattened all the vegetation and moved rocks and concrete slabs weighing half a ton or more downstream.
The professional biologist has spent most of his life working with aquatic environments throughout Vancouver Island. He has been working on Chalet Creek for 25 years and is optimistic that salmon and trout will return in greater numbers than ever before.
“Now we are going to be dealing with some of the chokepoints, which are at the mouth of the stream, and getting those fish up past that point and into the creek,” says Bruce.
Chalet Creek in North Saanich, B.C., on Aug. 9, 2022. (CTV News)
Besides being ecologically sensitive, the site is also part of a First Nation archeological protection area. Millennia Research Ltd. and the Tseycum First Nation have been monitoring the restoration project.
The upgraded area is about 250 metres long, spanning from above Chalet Road to Deep Cove.
The contract to repair the road was awarded to Northridge Excavating Ltd. for $582,000, while the total cost of repairing the initial storm damage and restoring the area will be closer to $750,000, according to the North Saanich's infrastructure director.
Work is expected to be completed by the beginning of September, just in time for fall spawning.
"My hopes are that we will have a great community project that will have fish," says Bruce.
"We’ll be able to bring the school students down and the community and they will feel proud what they’ve done to help contribute to that fish population and the habitat that’s here."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.