Dinosaur Tributary Inventory and Feasibility

Transcription

1 Pac Projct Watr Us Plan Dinosaur Tributary Invntory and Fasibility GMSWORKS #9 Rcommndations for Improving Accss or Enhancing Habitat on Dinosaur Rsrvoir Tributaris Study Priod: Jun 2009 to Novmbr 2009 Mark LRuz Triton Environmntal Consultants Ltd. Princ Gorg, BC Novmbr 26, 2009

2 4179/WP#P-2110 GMSWORKS#9 - DINOSAUR TRIBUTARY INVENTORY AND FEASIBILITY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING ACCESS OR ENHANCING HABITAT ON DINOSAUR RESERVOIR TRIBUTARIES Prpard for: BC Hydro GMS Gnrating Station Box 359 Hudson s Hop, BC V0C 1V0 Prpard by: Unit 201, th Avnu, Princ Gorg, BC V2L 3L1 Novmbr 2009

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4 BC Hydro - GMSWORKS#9 Dinosaur Tributary Invntory and Fasibility Study Novmbr 2009 Excutiv Summary Th stp bottom topography and short watr rtntion priod within th Dinosaur Rsrvoir has rsultd in low fish productivity. Th lack of quality raring and spawning habitats within th Rsrvoir mak th limitd availabl tributary habitat particularly important for maintaining a naturally sustainabl sport fishry. This Pac Watr Us Plan (WUP) projct was promptd by concrns about potntial fish accss rstrictions to tributary habitat causd by rsrvoir oprations and woody dbris accumulations at tributary confluncs. Th primary objctivs wr to: 1. Evaluat th numbr and xtnt of tributaris affctd by rsrvoir oprations and/or woody dbris filds; and 2. Complt a fasibility study to dtrmin whthr accss rstoration or othr tributary nhancmnt opportunitis xist basd on a priority ranking approach (i.. biological bnfit rlativ to mitigation costs and potntial for succss) and idntify two dmonstration strams whr works could occur. This was achivd by complting a pr-fild scoping xrcis to idntify strams with th highst potntial to offr any fish habitat, followd by a fild validation componnt. Fild invstigations rvald that tn tributaris offr som lvl of rsrvoir-accssibl habitat, amounting to a combind ara of 51,326 m 2 (80% of which is split btwn Johnson Crk and Gthing Crk). Concrns that woody dbris accumulations from upstram logging ar rstricting fish accss to tributaris was not validatd during any stp of this projct (i.. litratur rviw, orthophoto rviw, and fild invstigations). In fact, wood within th Rsrvoir was vry spars and primarily limitd to habitat faturs installd into svral bays for raring habitat nhancmnt. A combination of rsrvoir oprations and high bdload movmnt ar causing accss rstrictions to fiv tributaris with rsrvoir-accssibl habitat. Drdging to rmov aggrgatd bdload at stram confluncs may b viabl, but would rquir an ongoing maintnanc commitmnt. If this concpt wr pursud, Starfish Crk and unnamd crk ( ) ar th bst two candidats sinc thy hav th highst quality habitat with th most availabl ara, and thy ar locatd nxt to ach othr. Othr nhancmnt options not rlatd to accss rstrictions wr considrd to incras tributary raring and spawning including: rmoving barrirs; habitat complxing on tributaris; crating nw tributary habitat; augmnting flow to xisting rsrvoir-accssibl tributaris by divrting non-fish baring tributaris; habitat complxing within th rsrvoir; and divrting nonrsrvoir tributaris into th rsrvoir. No viabl barrir rmoval opportunitis wr idntifid. Th lowr nd of Johnson Crk is th bst candidat location for nw sid channl cration, but partitioning flows from th xisting channl may not rsult in nt gains in productiv habitat capacity. No viabl opportunitis xist for augmnting flows in accssibl strams. FINAL Rport Pag i

5 BC Hydro - GMSWORKS#9 Dinosaur Tributary Invntory and Fasibility Study Novmbr 2009 Most accssibl tributaris ar not considrd suitabl candidats for habitat complxing initiativs du to chronic bdload movmnt and unstabl canyon conditions. Accssibl tributary habitats on stabl strams ar considrd functional and provid limitd opportunitis for habitat complxing nhancmnts. Convrting high valu raring habitat into spawning habitat on Moosbar Crk, and offstting that altration by habitat complxing th inlt bay for raring may achiv an ovrall nt gain to th productiv capacity for rainbow trout, but rsults would hav a significant lvl of uncrtainty. This is partly bcaus thr is no guarant rlocating an quivalnt or gratr amount of stram raring habitat into th rsrvoir will afford juvnils similar or bttr succss. Although th lowr 364 m of Moosbar Crk contains rainbow trout and is considrd rsrvoir-accssibl habitat, rmoving two small falls (1.2 m and 1.4 m) from th lowr 60 m should prcd any nhancmnt works upstram to maximiz th bnfit. Th bst tributary-rlatd opportunity for nhancing th productiv capacity of th Dinosaur Rsrvoir fishry is to divrt Portag Crk and Bullrun Crk into th Rsrvoir. Currntly both crks flow into th Pac Rivr just downstram of th Pac Canyon Dam, and hav impassabl barrirs locatd at thir confluncs. In total, an stimatd 21.5 km of nw stram habitat could bcom accssibl to rsrvoir fish through this initiativ. Th gratst bnfit of this nwly accssibl habitat would b for raring, although an ffort should also b mad to augmnt spawning habitat within th 1,850 m long nw channl sction. Continuing to add woody dbris to rsrvoir bays is anothr provn stratgy to incras raring habitat quality in a low-risk, conomical mannr. BC Hydro will utiliz th information providd in this rport in its implmntation of th followup Pac WUP projct GMSWORKS#8 Dinosaur Rsrvoir Dmonstration Tributary, which is dsignd to considr th potntial fish habitat and/or accss rstoration in mor dtail and undrtak th rquird rmdial works and maintnanc ovr th fiv yar lif of th projct. A rlatd Pac WUP projct GMSMON#14 Dinosaur Tributary Habitat, would facilitat baslin and post-construction monitoring to valuat thr ky managmnt qustions: 1. Is th tributary nhancmnt work ffctiv at incrasing usabl habitat? 2. Is th ara and quality of fish habitat cratd by th tributary nhancmnt work sufficint to noticably incras spawning and raring opportunitis in th rsrvoir? 3. Is th ara and quality of fish habitat cratd by th tributary nhancmnt maintaind ovr tim? FINAL Rport Pag ii

6 BC Hydro - GMSWORKS#9 Dinosaur Tributary Invntory and Fasibility Study Novmbr 2009 Acknowldgmnts Many thanks to Kim Hawkins (BC Hydro) for administring th projct and for th tim sh contributd to rviw th initial draft. Triton Environmntal Consultants Ltd. (Triton) would also lik to thank Arn Langston (Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program), and Mik McArthur (Environmntal Rsourcs group) for thir insightful rviws, which improvd th quality of this documnt. Triton staff who contributd to th projct includd: Mark LRuz Lad Biologist and Author Jim Trask Snior Biologist and Rport Rviwr Tristan Simns Biologist FINAL Rport Pag iii

7 BC Hydro - GMSWORKS#9 Dinosaur Tributary Invntory and Fasibility Study Novmbr 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS Excutiv Summary... i Acknowldgmnts... iii 1.0 Introduction Background Study Objctiv Mthods Litratur Rviw and Data Consolidation Map and Air Photo Analysis Fild Assssmnt Sit Data Collction Rfinmnt of Usabl Habitat Calculations Fild Assssmnt Rsults Habitat Enhancmnt Options Barrir Rmovals Habitat Complxing on Tributaris Crating Nw Tributary Habitat Drdging Augmnting Tributary Flows Habitat Complxing within th Rsrvoir Divrting Portag Crk and Bullrun Crk into th Rsrvoir Conclusions and Rcommndations Rfrncs FINAL Rport Pag iv

8 BC Hydro - GMSWORKS#9 Dinosaur Tributary Invntory and Fasibility Study Novmbr 2009 LIST OF FIGURES Figur 3-1. Ovrviw map of tributaris to th Dinosaur Rsrvoir that wr survyd LIST OF TABLES Tabl 2-1. Slctd summary of documnts rviwd in association with this projct and rlvant findings... 4 Tabl 3-1. Tributaris with pr-fild anticipatd and/or fild confirmd rsrvoir-accssibl habitat ordrd by watrshd cod Tabl 3-2. Summary of rsrvoir-accssibl tributary habitat quality and quantity ordrd from gratst to last ara Tabl 3-3. Summary of faturs idntifid on tributaris with rsrvoir-accssibl habitat ordrd by watrshd cod Tabl 4-1. Logistical considrations associatd with rmoving th lowr barrir on tributaris to th Dinosaur Rsrvoir Tabl 4-2. Priority ranking of tributaris affctd by rsrvoir oprations that might bnfit from a drdging program Appndix 1. Photographs LIST OF APPENDICES FINAL Rport Pag v

9 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background Th Dinosaur Rsrvoir is a run-of-th-rivr dsign that has 15 sport and non-sport fish spcis documntd (Langston and Murphy 2008). Pattndn and Ash (1993b) idntifid rsrvoir food supply, fish ntrainmnt ovr th Pac Canyon Dam, and raring and spawning habitat as th primary factors limiting fish productivity within th Dinosaur Rsrvoir. This is largly du to th small littoral ara associatd with th Rsrvoir s stp bottom topography, and th short watr rtntion priod of only thr days (Pattndn and Ash 1993b). As such, th raring and spawning habitat opportunitis availabl in tributaris is critical for supporting a viabl sport fishry in th Rsrvoir. According to Murphy and Blackman (2004), Gthing Crk and Johnson Crk ar th only tributaris with significant raring and spawning aras for Dinosaur Rsrvoir fish, and this habitat is limitd to 600 m and 500 m rspctivly du to barrirs. Othr smallr tributaris ar phmral or hav vry limitd habitat that is accssibl du to th prsnc of barrirs (Murphy and Blackman 2004). Crl survys hav bn routinly compltd sinc 1984 and rainbow trout (Oncorhychus mykiss) hav consistntly bn idntifid as th most abundant sport fish capturd (Pattndn and Ash 1993a, Joslin 2001a, Joslin 2001b, Cowi 2004, and Stimr 2006). Th importanc of rainbow trout as a sport fish is furthr supportd by th history of a stocking program within th Rsrvoir (Langston and Murphy 2008). Low dnsitis of bull trout (Salvlinus confluntus) ar also prsnt in th Rsrvoir, and considrabl ffort has bn xpndd ovr th yars to maintain or incras thir numbrs (Euchnr 2006). Although bull trout sporadically occur in Johnson Crk, Gthing Crk is th primary tributary utilizd. Adult transplants upstram of th lowr barrirs on Gthing Crk hav rportdly bn unsuccssful at stablishing a sustainabl rsidnt population (Langston 2008). Lak trout (S. namaycush), anothr important sport fish in th Rsrvoir, hav appard rlativly rcntly (Euchnr 2006). Although thy account for a small proportion of th annual angling catch, crl survy rsults suggst thir numbrs ar incrasing. A tlmtry study dtrmind that lak trout distribution in th Rsrvoir is largly rstrictd to th uppr 9 km, with infrrd spawning occurring nar th Gthing Crk dlta, th spillway scour hol, and th rock ldg ara nar th dcommissiond WAC Bnntt Dam divrsion tunnls (Euchnr 2006). Although th Rsrvoir s limitd watr storag capacity minimizs littoral zon habitat ffcts associatd with watr fluctuations during normal opration, habitat in shallow bays is tmporarily rducd during low priods and fr accss to tributaris is somtims rstrictd (BC Hydro 2008). Anothr concrn is that larg volums of woody dbris associatd with upstram logging activity ntr th Rsrvoir and rportdly crat dbris jams at tributary confluncs (BC Hydro 2008). FINAL Rport Pag 1

10 1.2 Study Objctiv To addrss concrns rlatd to tributary accss rstrictions, th Pac Watr Us Planning Committ ndorsd an initiativ to: 1. Evaluat th numbr and xtnt of tributaris affctd by rsrvoir oprations and/or dbris filds; 2. Complt a fasibility study to dtrmin whthr accss rstoration or othr tributary nhancmnt opportunitis xist basd on a priority ranking approach (i.. biological bnfit rlativ to mitigation costs and potntial for succss) and idntify two dmonstration strams whr works could occur; and 3. Dsign and implmnt nhancmnt rcommndations from th fasibility study, and monitor rsults ovr a fiv yar priod. Th prsnt study fulfills th GMSWORKS#9 componnt of this Pac Watr Us Plan initiativ (i.. th tributary invntory and fasibility lmnts), whil th GMSWORKS#8 componnt (i.. th dsign, implmntation, and monitoring lmnts) will b compltd through a subsqunt projct (BC Hydro 2008). Sinc stram tratmnt stratgis wr th focus of this projct, opportunitis to addrss raring and spawning dficincis wr considrd most rlvant. As such, mitigation opportunitis for othr limiting factors to th Rsrvoir fishry such as food dficincis and ntrainmnt concrns wr not dirctly considrd. Th study approach includd a pr-fild scoping xrcis to idntify strams with th highst potntial to offr any fish habitat, followd by a fild validation componnt. Data collctd during th fild program contributd to rcommndations for habitat nhancmnt activitis. Enhancmnt rcommndations wr primarily targtd toward rainbow trout sinc this spcis is th dominant sportfish in th Rsrvoir, and is most likly to utiliz any stram nhancmnt initiativs that ar compltd; bull trout prdominatly us Gthing Crk with sporadic occurrncs in Johnson Crk, and lak trout ar typically limitd to lacustrin habitats or larg rivrs. FINAL Rport Pag 2

11 2.0 Mthods 2.1 Litratur Rviw and Data Consolidation Historical information was collctd that primarily focusd on rfrncs about th quality and xtnt of rsrvoir-accssibl tributary habitat and fish spcis utilizing thos habitats (.g. fish sampling rsults and documntd barrir locations). In addition, considration was givn to litratur for othr projcts whr similar works wr compltd to hlp rfin th mthodology for this projct. Onlin sourcs that wr consultd includd: Cross-linkd Information Rsourcs (CLIR) sarch ngin. CLIR's umbrlla sarch application allows usrs to sarch multipl sourcs of nvironmntal and natural rsourc information in: o EcoCat - Ecological Rports Catalogu o BCSEE - BC Spcis and Ecosystms Explorr o EIRS BD - Biodivrsity / Environmntal Information Rsourcs -library o EIRS EP - Environmntal Protction Information Rsourcs -library o SIWE - Spcis Invntory Wb Explorr, a componnt of th Spcis Invntory Data Systm (SPI) o B.C. Ministry of Forsts and Rang library Fishris Information Data Quris (FDIQ) sarch tool HabitatWizard sarch tool Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program (PWFWCP) onlin rports Applicabl data was consolidatd onto a digital bas map using ArcViw gographic information systm (GIS) softwar. On of th most rlvant rsourcs was a Rconnaissanc (1:20,000) Fish and Fish Habitat Invntory compltd on Johnson Crk and othr tributaris to th southrn sid of Dinosaur Rsrvoir for Canfor (Aquatic Rsourcs Ltd. 1999b). Whil this study providd rach braks for many tributaris and includd usful channl charactristics at sampl sits (.g. avrag channl width, gradint), limitd insight was gaind about rsrvoiraccssibl habitat sinc fish sampling was rarly don and barrirs nar th Rsrvoir wr not idntifid. A slction of othr rlvant documnts ar summarizd in Tabl 2-1. Othr than infrncs to woody dbris accumulations at tributary confluncs in th trms of rfrnc (TOR) for this projct (BC Hydro 2008), no othr rfrnc to this issu was idntifid in th litratur. In fact, th PWFWCP has addd woody dbris to svral shallow bays in th Rsrvoir as a habitat nhancmnt initiativ. FINAL Rport Pag 3

12 Tabl 2-1. Slctd summary of documnts rviwd in association with this projct and rlvant findings. Rfrnc Summary of Rlvant Contnt Pattndn and Ash (1993b) poor habitat quality and variabl flow rgims in Johnson Crk and Gthing Crk rsults in low sportfish rcruitmnt, which translats into rstrictd fish abundanc rainbow trout is th dominant sportfish, with th population supplmntd by a hatchry program sinc spawning succss and survival ar low Johnson Crk is th primary spawning location for rainbow trout, whil bull trout primarily utiliz Gthing Crk tchniqus for rsrvoir habitat nhancmnts ar covrd including stratgis for rducing ntrainmnt, and raring and spawning habitat improvmnts Harvy (1995) lctrofishing at sits on Gthing Crk and Gaylard Crk suggstd adult bull trout transplants in 1994 wr vry succssful on Gthing Crk and not vry succssful on Gaylard Crk in trms of juvnil rcruitmnt Agra Earth and Lvl 1 watrshd assssmnt on Johnson Crk that idntifid surfac rosion Environmntal Limitd and mass wasting as significant impacts within th watrshd (61 landslids and (1996) 20 channl bank failurs wr notd) Pac Country Matrials Tsting Ltd. (1997) Aquatic Rsourcs Ltd. (1998) Langston and Zmlak (1998) Hatfild Consultants Ltd. (2000) th rport provids a risk assssmnt and stimatd rmdiation cost for two road washout sits and a hillslop failur on Burnt Trail Crk (tributary to Johnson Crk) rainbow trout wr capturd on Gaylard Crk a bull trout transplant in Gaylard Crk is fasibl a rainbow trout population stablishd during a stocking ffort in 1983 xists in Gaylard Crk upstram of barrirs in th lowr 2 km constructing fish passag structurs around th barrirs is not fasibl no fish capturd in Mooscall Lak (part of th Johnson Crk systm) using on floating gill nt (ovrnight st) maximum dpth of Mooscall Lak is 2.1 m and man dpth is 1.14 m Blackman t al. (2004) a statistically significant diffrnc btwn tratd and untratd conditions was not dtctd, potntially bcaus th boat shocking mthod was lss ffctiv aftr th woody habitat faturs wr installd Murphy t al. (2004) this rport summarizs baslin sampling fforts in th rsrvoir prior to implmnting habitat nhancmnt activitis rainbow trout wr th dominant spcis capturd (41%), followd by mountain whitfish (19%), pamouth chub (12%), longnos suckr (10%), bull trout (6%), lak whitfish (5%), kokan (5%), and lak trout (2%) Blackman and Cowi (2005) Nwsholm and Euchnr (2006) Langston and Murphy (2008) instad of boat shocking which was infficint during th 2003 study, th 2004 program applid trap nts, minnow traps and angling to valuat woody dbris ffctivnss for improving raring habitat fiv tims mor fish wr capturd at nhancd sits than control sits rport dtails a fish fnc initiativ on Johnson Crk that was opratd in 2006 to valuat spawning movmnts and th adult population structur of rainbow trout summarizd th history of fish stocking within th PWFWCP ara including th Dinosaur Rsrvoir and its tributaris up to 2005 stocking occurrd in: Burnt Trail Crk (RB in 1984), Dinosaur Rsrvoir (RB in 1983, , ), Dowling Crk (BT in 1985), Gaylard Crk (RB in 1983; BT in 1994), Gthing Crk (RB in 1983; BT in 1993, 1997, 1999), Johnson Crk (RB in 1982, 1984), Pt Lak (RB in , ), and Wright Lak (RB in , 1996, ) Langston (2008) summarizd bull trout translocation fforts and in Gthing Crk upstram of th FINAL Rport Pag 4

13 Rfrnc Summary of Rlvant Contnt impassabl falls on Gthing Crk and Gaylard Crk. concludd that a stram-rsidnt dwarf population in th uppr watrshd was not stablishd; by ag 3 or 4 bull trout migrat downstram to th Rsrvoir sinc th uppr watrshd strams ar too small to support thm a small population in Wright Lak could potntially bcom slf sustainabl in th futur RB = rainbow trout; BT = bull trout 2.2 Map and Air Photo Analysis Digital TRIM 1 maps and air photos wr rviwd to idntify potntial barrir locations and stimat th amount of usabl habitat that might currntly xist abov and blow. As such, th following consrvativ assumptions wr applid during this offic-basd xrcis: >20% gradint basd on TRIM intrprtation ovr at last 100 m is a barrir; th top 1 km of ach stram provids insufficint drainag lngth to provid significant spawning or raring habitat for any fish spcis; and insufficint habitat xists upstram of a barrir to provid modrat quality or bttr raring and/or spawning opportunitis, as dfind in Sction , if no accssibl laks xist or if <5 km of stram drainag xists (including tributary contributions). Using th first two assumptions, a ralistic summary of rsrvoir-accssibl tributaris with any fish habitat potntial was achivd by: intrprting lowr barrir locations, xcluding tributaris with stp gradint throughout th majority of thir mappd lngths, and xcluding short, first ordr tributaris that would likly hav insufficint hadwatr to scour a continuously dfind channl. Th following nin tributaris wr idntifid as having potntial rsrvoir-accssibl habitat, and ar dscribd in mor dtail in Tabls 3-1 and 3-2: unnamd crk ( ) unnamd crk ( ) Gthing Crk unnamd crk ( ) Mogul Crk Starfish Crk Moosbar Crk unnamd crk ( ) Johnson Crk All of ths tributaris wr prioritizd for a dtaild fild visit to confirm availabl habitat quantity and quality, although th othr mappd drainags wr also obsrvd to confirm no usabl habitat xistd. Ths othr drainags wr all first or scond ordr, and most had long sctions of stp gradint immdiatly upstram of thir confluncs with th Rsrvoir. In addition, Bullrun Crk and Portag Crk wr scrnd in for fild inspction sinc th PWFWCP had considrd divrting thm into Dinosaur Rsrvoir. Currntly thy flow into th Pac Rivr just downstram of th Pac Canyon Dam, and hav impassabl barrirs locatd at thir confluncs. Rainbow trout and longnos suckr (Catostomas catostomas) hav bn FINAL Rport Pag 5

14 documntd in Portag Crk, which is likly th rsult of illgal introductions by rsidnts (Langston and Murphy 2008). Th third assumption was includd to focus potntial barrir rmoval opportunitis on strams with maningful habitat valu. A minimum amount of upstram drainag is rquird to scour a continuously dfind stram channl, as rcognizd by th scond assumption, and this channl would likly only provid poor or low valu habitat at that point. Thrfor, fiv kilomtrs of mappd stram drainag at th hadwatr would not translat into fiv kilomtrs of usabl habitat. Although availabl habitat stimatd upstram of th first full obstruction was considrd in th ovrall dcision-making framwork for barrir rmovals outlind in Sction 4.1, it did not solly rsult in th xclusion of any strams as potntial candidats. All rsrvoir tributaris wr obsrvd in th fild to validat pr-fild assumptions that wr mad, and idntify any anomalis. To furthr th invstigation about woody dbris fild accumulations dscribd in th TOR, this possibility was xplord using Googl Earth to scan th ntir primtr of th lak. Rsolution of th Googl Earth imags was sufficint to idntify th occasional log that was prsnt (including wood that had bn installd into som of th bays for habitat nhancmnt), howvr, no vidnc of chronic dbris accumulations was dtctd during this prliminary xrcis. 2.3 Fild Assssmnt Th protocol dvlopd by ARL (2002) for th Williston Rsrvoir was considrd for this study, although that protocol was partly intndd to priority rank th larg numbr of strams with potntial fishris valu such that tributaris with th highst valu wr targtd for fild invstigation. Sinc th Dinosaur Rsrvoir is much smallr it was possibl to complt a comprhnsiv fild assssmnt to idntify all tributaris with any fishris potntial. This primarily involvd visiting ach of th nin tributaris idntifid during th pr-fild scrning procss, along with validating infrncs about ach of th othr strams whr no habitat was xpctd. This was achivd by cruising th ntir shorlin ovr a four day priod btwn July 21 to 24, 2009 using a boat for accss Sit Data Collction For strams whr rsrvoir-accssibl habitat was idntifid, survys wr compltd to stablish th lngth and rlativ quality of th habitat abov th highwatr mark of th Rsrvoir. Sit data wr rcordd on rconnaissanc invntory standard Sit Cards (Provinc of British Columbia 2001), confluncs and rlvant faturs wr gorfrncd, and photographs wr takn. Th typical rang of photographs takn at sits with accssibl habitat includ: viw of th conflunc from th Rsrvoir; viw of th barrir(s); rprsntativ upstram and downstram viws; and any othr notabl faturs. FINAL Rport Pag 6

15 Strams without rsrvoir-accssibl habitat wr gorfrncd at thir confluncs, photographd, and a commnt was rcordd in a fild notbook dscribing why no significant habitat was availabl Barrir Assssmnt Accss barrirs to rsrvoir fish wr valuatd according to gradint, instram obstacl, hydraulic conditions, and approach conditions. Gradint Th gradint of th accss barrir was masurd using an Abny Lvl and compard to thrsholds for th spcis of intrst. Instram Obstacl Th drop, plung pool dpth, gomtry, xtnt and prmannc (.g. bdrock control vrsus mbddd log) of th fatur was documntd. Rfrnc photographs wr takn with a scal itm in viw. Hydraulic Conditions Whr applicabl, th hydraulic conditions around accss barrirs wr dscribd in trms of dpth (maximum, minimum and avrag along th potntial barrir), vlocity (maximum, minimum and avrag along th potntial barrir). Approach Conditions Approach conditions wr carfully documntd for potntial barrirs with an apparnt inadquat staging ara. Masurd paramtrs includd an accurat dscription of th plung pool or approach habitat (ara, maximum/avrag/minimum dpth and vlocitis), drop hight or gradint, and lngth that must b passd by fish to gain accss to upstram habitats. Covr in th staging ara or potntial rsting ara abov th barrir wr also dscribd and quantifid Fish Habitat Dscription Th assssmnt of fish habitat valus was basd on critria dvlopd by Triton, which includ physical habitat paramtrs, flow paramtrs and fish abundanc. It is important to not that th following is only a guid and that not all critria idntifid with ach bullt must b mt. It is also important to not that any givn rach may contain high raring habitat valus but not contain any suitabl spawning habitat. High valu fish habitat is typically charactrizd by: th prsnc of significant (at last 5% of th total habitat ara) suitabl salmonid spawning habitat; suitabl conditions that must xist at th tim of spawning includ minimum watr dpths of 15 cm, vlocitis btwn 0.3 m/s and 1.0 m/s, gravl patchs >0.1 m 2, and particl sizs btwn 10 mm and 75 mm (Johnston and Slany 1996) FINAL Rport Pag 7

16 abundant covr, prnnial flows, coars substrats, modrat gradint (1-5% for rainbow trout) significant rprsntation (>10% of th total habitat ara) of both pool (>25 cm dp) and riffl habitats for rainbow trout an abundanc of fish (at last 10 pr 100 lctrofishing sconds). Mdium or Modrat valu fish habitat is typically charactrizd by: modrat to abundant covr, prdominantly coars substrats, modrat gradint (0.5-10% for rainbow trout) prnnial or occasionally phmral flows som rprsntation of riffl and pool habitats (5-10% riffl and >10% pool) for rainbow trout (not that sid channls that provid high valu habitat may incras habitat valus from low in th mainstm to modrat ovrall) low to modrat numbrs of fish (not that fwr or prhaps no fish would likly b capturd at low flows). Low valu fish habitat is typically charactrizd by: low covr, low habitat complxity (homognous shallow glid-pool or riffl habitat), low discharg volum, shallow (<10 cm) avrag watr dpth, infrqunt pools >15 cm dp, phmral flows, prdominantly fin substrats wtland rachs with sasonal raring habitat (usually mans thr is visibl flow and occasionally gravls) non, fw or modrat numbrs of fish at optimal flows. Poor valu fish habitat is charactrizd by: phmral flows, poor channl dfinition, vascular plant growth within th channl, low proportion (or no) of coars substrats, low (0-1%) or high (>15% in small and >20% in largr strams) gradint, infrqunt or no pools >15 cm dp, shallow (<5 cm dp) avrag watr dpth wtland rachs (may support coars fish spcis but not suitabl for salmonids) no fish capturd or obsrvd, low liklihood of us. No suitabl fish habitat is typically charactrizd by: high avrag gradints (>15-20% in strams <1.5m wid, >20% in strams >1.5 m wid), strongly phmral flows (may only flow during snow mlt and/or prolongd havy rains), shallow avrag watr dpth (<5 cm) with infrqunt or no pools >10 cm dp intrmittnt or poorly dfind channls no fish capturd or obsrvd, insignificant possibility of us by gam fish. Suitabl ovrwintring habitat varis with stram siz as follows: Strams: pools of at last 50 cm in dpth Ponds: at last 0.25 ha with a maximum dpth of at last 2 m. FINAL Rport Pag 8

17 2.4 Rfinmnt of Usabl Habitat Calculations Following th fild program th original stimats of rsrvoir-accssibl habitat drivd during th pr-fild scrning phas wr rfind. FINAL Rport Pag 9

18 3.0 Fild Assssmnt Rsults Of th nin tributaris idntifid during th pr-fild phas as having potntial rsrvoiraccssibl habitat, accssibl habitat was confirmd at svn locations whil two tributaris had firm barrirs idntifid at thir rsrvoir confluncs (Tabl 3-1). In addition, thr strams wr found to hav som rsrvoir-accssibl habitat availabl whn non was xpctd. In total, 48 mappd drainags to th Dinosaur Rsrvoir wr documntd, gorfrncd, and photographd, along with Bullrun Crk and Portag Crk. Of thos, th majority wr ithr phmral or xhibitd non-classifid drainag conditions (i.. lss than 100 m of continuously dfind channl bd; thrfor not a stram). As prviously documntd in th litratur, Johnson Crk and Gthing Crk ar th bst strams availabl to rsrvoir fish both in trms of raring and spawning habitat quality and quantity (Tabl 3-2). Both strams wr found to hav similar amounts of habitat ara, which is an ordr of magnitud gratr than th nxt bst stram. Of not, th lngth of habitat availabl on ach stram was found to b gratr than prviously documntd (1,066 m for Johnson and 675 m for Gthing wr idntifid compard to 500 m and 600 m originally rportd rspctivly). This may partly b th rsult of xtrm bdload dpositions at th rsrvoir confluncs that hav ssntially cratd nw channl bd in what usd to b rsrvoir habitat. Th nxt bst strams in trms of availabl habitat ara wr Starfish Crk and unnamd crk ( ) locatd immdiatly to th ast, both of which drain into th sam bay. Although both strams offr modrat quality raring and low to modrat quality spawning habitat, thy ar pron to dwatring in th lowr 100 m to 200 m during daily rsrvoir fluctuations. This trnd was obsrvd within a priod of svral hours, and som fish mortalitis wr obsrvd du to stranding in dwatrd sctions. Both strams also show vidnc of xtrm bdload movmnt, and th aggrading conditions that hav rsultd at thir confluncs may b contributing to th dwatring problm. Fish sampling with a backpack lctrofishr on Starfish Crk rsultd in th captur of longnos suckr and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) at th unconfind lowr nd whr limitd covr xistd. Upstram in th mor confind habitat, rainbow trout and longnos suckr wr capturd within th coars substrat matrial. Givn its clos proximity to Starfish Crk and its similar channl charactristics, similar captur rsults would b xpctd on unnamd crk ( ). Th othr notabl stram was Moosbar Crk, which had high quality raring and spawning habitat availabl within a rlativly stabl channl nvironmnt. Although 1.2 m and 1.4 m high falls wr idntifid 50 m and 60 m upstram rspctivly (Tabl 3-3), rainbow trout wr capturd upstram of both. All of th othr fiv strams with rsrvoir-accssibl habitat had lss than 1000 m 2 availabl. Although its avrag channl width was lss than 1 m wid, unnamd crk ( ) had high quality raring habitat. This channl appard rlativly stabl, and likly rcivs som hadwatr flow from Mooscall Lak. Mogul Crk had low quality habitat du to a lack of covr, but an abundanc of suitabl sizd gravls providd modrat spawning potntial. Similar to Starfish Crk, this stram appars to b aggrading at th rsrvoir conflunc, as vidncd by th larg gravl bar that was dwatrd in th lowr 30 m. FINAL Rport Pag 10

19 Unnamd crk ( ), unnamd crk ( ), and unnamd crk ( ) all hav poor to low valu raring habitat and limitd to no spawning habitat availabl. Th formr two strams ar pron to xtrm bdload movmnt, whil th lattr stram is mor stabl but intrmittnt. All thr dwatr nar thir conflunc with th rsrvoir, although connctivity is xpctd whn watr lvls ar highr. Although only a small portion of Portag Crk was survyd rlativ to th potntial habitat that is availabl, high valu raring habitat for salmonids was obsrvd within th 3 m wid avrag channl. Abundant covr was availabl from larg woody dbris (LWD) and pools, along with som undrcut banks, coars substrat, small woody dbris, and ovrhanging vgtation. Isolatd pockts of suitabl substrat offr low valu spawning habitat, and ovrwintring is vidntly possibl givn that introducd rainbow trout and longnos suckr populations prsist according to Langston and Murphy (2008). Bullrun Crk had an avrag channl width of 1.2 m within th lowr 300 m, with modrat valu raring potntial. Thr ar sctions with xtnsiv bavr activity which has producd som dp, stagnant channl aras that run through thick ovrhanging vgtation. Aras not influncd by bavrs had a dominanc of undrcut bank for covr. Spawning potntial was poor sinc th occasional pockts of suitabl gravls wr typically mixd with fins. No suitabl ovrwintring habitat was obsrvd. With rgard to woody dbris accumulations in th Rsrvoir rstricting fish accss at tributary confluncs, no vidnc was found to validat ths concrns. Idntifid barrirs wr ithr topography basd (i.. stp gradint) or bdrock controlld faturs (i.. falls or cascads). In fact, wood within th Rsrvoir was vry spars and primarily limitd to habitat faturs installd into svral bays for raring habitat nhancmnt. Tributaris impactd by rsrvoir oprations (i.. pron to dwatr at thir confluncs) ar idntifid in Tabl 3-2. FINAL Rport Pag 11

20 [ W I L L I S T O N L A K E ] C GMSWORKS#9 - Dinosaur Tributary Invntory and Fasibility Study Figur 3-1. Ovrviw map of tributaris to th Dinosaur Rsrvoir that wr survyd r k Lgnd W.A.C. BENNETT DAM W.A.C. BENNETT DAM Potntial Divrsion Rout k 6 F a s o C r i g n D i G t h 33 L a k r u F 2 F P D k E i A r n C C E o s a R d u n a 32 r l s I 6 F I V E R L a k 37 C r l u g o M b a r s k o r C o M C A N O N F 10 F 0.78 F M o o s b a r 1.4 F 41 C r F P E A C E D I 24 N O S PORTAGE GRANT KNOB MTN 21 A 20 U 19 R E V I R C C N A C K L 46 E Y N O 5 C C C P o r t a g C r k B u l l r u n C r k B U L L F L A T S C E C A P o r t a g E C r P a s o n i D 48 B U L L F L A T S 50 P E A C E C A N Y O N k D A M a L r u R E V I R Laks Wtlands TRIM Strams Rsrvoir-accssibl Habitat Potntial Habitat Upstram of a Barrir Gradint Barrir Not Usabl Habitat Unclassifid Stram Atlin # Das Lak # Fort Nlson # Fort St. John # Chtwynd # # Hazlton Macknzi Dawson Crk # # Trrac # Masst # Fort St. Jams # # Kitimat# Houston# Princ Ruprt # Vandrhoof # # Princ Gorg Qusnl McBrid # Valmount # # Blla Coola # Williams Lak # Goldn # Port Hardy LillootKamloops # # # Projct Ara F 3.5 F 25 F r 0.8 F 1.4 F 6.4 F 5.5 F MT JOHNSON 10 F l l a c s o o M k a L S t a r f i s h Location Map Hop Nanaimo # # # Vancouvr Victoria # Klowna # Cranbrook # Trail Crston # # NOTE: Potntial habitat upstram of a barrir is basd on map intrprtation and likly ovrstimats th actual amount of habitat availabl C C o a l b d ,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 Scal: 1:60,000 Mtrs n C NO. DATE REVISION BY (yyyy/mm/dd) C r k J o h n s o k r C r k /10/15 Initial Draft /11/20 Final Draft ML ML J o h n s o n l i a r T n t r B u C r k Basmap Sourc: TRIM Data Projct No: Fil No: Dat: Map Datum: UTM NAD 83 Zon Map#: 4179_Dinosaur\MXD\ Dinosaur_Figur3-1.mxd Nov. 20, 2009

21 Tabl 3-1. Tributaris with pr-fild anticipatd and/or fild confirmd rsrvoir-accssibl habitat ordrd by watrshd cod. WSC Tributary Nam Fig. 3-1 Rf. # Linar Amount of Rsrvoir Accssibl Habitat (m) 1 st Full Mainstm Barrir Othr Barrirs Potntial Availabl Habitat Upstram of 1 st Barrir (m) Drawdown Mainstm Tributary Total Location 1 Typ Upstram? Mainstm Tributary Total Zon (m) (Y/N [#]) Portag falls N 18,301 1,974 20, Bullrun falls N , unnamd gradint N unnamd gradint N unnamd gradint N 3,430 4,142 7, Starfish cascad Y [1] 6,194 5,359 11, unnamd cascad N unnamd gradint N unnamd falls N 1, , Johnson falls Y [4] 28, , , Moosbar falls Y [1] 6,167 6,224 12, Mogul falls Y [3] Gthing falls Y 27,603?? unnamd gradint Y [1] Upstram location from rsrvoir conflunc Not 1: Portag Crk and Bullrun Crk currntly hav no rsrvoir-accssibl habitat sinc thy discharg downstram of th Pac Canyon Dam into th Pac Rivr, but PWFWCP has considrd divrting thir flows into Dinosaur Rsrvoir as a fish habitat nhancmnt initiativ. Not 2: Potntial habitat upstram of th first barrir is basd on map and air photo intrprtation and likly ovrstimats th actual amount of habitat availabl. FINAL Rport Pag 13

22 Tabl 3-2. Summary of rsrvoir-accssibl tributary habitat quality and quantity ordrd from gratst to last ara. WSC Tributary Nam Figur 3-1 Rf. # Raring Habitat Quality Spawning Habitat Quality Linar Habitat (m) Avrag Channl Width (m) Estimatd Ara (m 2 ) Johnson 23 high high 1, , Gthing 34 high high , Starfish 6 modrat low/modrat , unnamd 5 modrat low , Moosbar 25 high high , Mogul 31 low modrat unnamd 45 poor non unnamd 14 high low unnamd 2 poor poor unnamd 1 low low Total 51,326 Not: Bold txt dnots tributaris with priodic fish accss rstrictions du to a combination of rsrvoir oprations and high bdload movmnt rsulting in aggradd conditions at thir confluncs. FINAL Rport Pag 14

23 Tabl 3-3. Summary of faturs idntifid on tributaris with rsrvoir-accssibl habitat ordrd by watrshd cod. WSC Tributary Nam Figur 3-1 Rfrnc # Barrir Location 1 Typ Dimnsions Full / Partial (m) Portag 50 0 falls 20 m high full Bullrun 48 0 falls ~30 m high full unnamd 1 96 gradint 24% ovr 575 m full unnamd gradint 167% ovr 48 m full unnamd falls 0.91 m partial unnamd cascad 1.5 m high, 4 m long partial unnamd gradint 29% ovr 140 m full Starfish cascad 4.7 m high, 7 m long full Starfish chut 1.2 m high, 8 m long full Starfish log jam 35% ovr 27 m full (tmporary) unnamd 47 0 cascad 5 m high, 9 m long full unnamd gradint 23% ovr 100 m full unnamd cascad 3.2 m high, 14.6 m long partial unnamd cascad 4.1 m high, 19.6 m long partial unnamd falls 10 m high full Johnson falls 0.8 m high partial Johnson falls 1.4 m high partial Johnson falls 6.4 m high full Johnson falls 5.5 m high full Johnson falls 2.3 m high full Johnson falls 3.5 m high full Johnson falls 25 m high full Moosbar falls 1.2 m high partial Moosbar falls 1.4 m high partial Moosbar falls 0.78 m high partial Moosbar falls 1.93 m high full Moosbar falls 10 m high full Moosbar gradint 22% ovr 472 m full Mogul falls 6 m high full Mogul falls 2 m high full Mogul falls 3.5 m high full Mogul 31 1,152 gradint 27% ovr 670 m full Gthing falls 6 m high full unnamd 49 0 gradint 20% ovr 600 m full unnamd gradint >20% ovr 92 m full Not 1: Bold itms rprsnt th fatur dfining th upstram limit of accssibl habitat for rsrvoir fish. Strams 47 and 49 wr scopd in during th pr-fild phas as having potntial rsrvoir-accssibl habitat but firm barrirs wr idntifid at thir rsrvoir confluncs during fild invstigations. Not 2: Portag Crk and Bullrun Crk currntly hav no rsrvoir-accssibl habitat sinc thy discharg downstram of th Pac Canyon Dam into th Pac Rivr, but PWFWCP has considrd divrting thir flows into Dinosaur Rsrvoir as a fish habitat nhancmnt initiativ. FINAL Rport Pag 15

24 4.0 Habitat Enhancmnt Options Th rang of potntial opportunitis for improving tributary accss or nhancing habitat to dirctly bnfit rsrvoir fish includs: rmoving barrirs on tributaris; habitat complxing on tributaris; crating nw tributary habitat; drdging bdload matrial from tributary confluncs with th rsrvoir whr dwatring is an issu; augmnting flow to xisting rsrvoir-accssibl tributaris by divrting non-fish baring tributaris; habitat complxing within th rsrvoir; and divrting non-rsrvoir tributaris into th rsrvoir. 4.1 Barrir Rmovals Barrir rmoval opportunitis wr carfully considrd for all tributaris to th Dinosaur Rsrvoir, but no viabl scnarios wr idntifid. For th tributaris includd in Tabl 3-2 th rasons includd: insufficint habitat upstram to justify th ffort (i.. th minimum habitat critria of modrat quality or bttr was not mt as spcifid during th pr-fild phas); faturs ar too significant to fasibly rmov (i.. du to xcssiv hight and/or lngth); conditions ar too dangrous to work in (.g. high, ovrhanging canyon walls); or additional barrirs xist upstram within clos proximity to th first. Any on of ths rasons would b sufficint rational for avoiding a barrir rmoval initiativ, howvr, in all but on instanc, two or mor of ths factors xist (Tabl 4-1). Ths rationals also xtndd to th othr tributaris whr no rsrvoir-accssibl habitat xists. Tabl 4-1. Logistical considrations associatd with rmoving th lowr barrir on tributaris to th Dinosaur Rsrvoir. WSC Tributary Nam Fig. 3-1 Rf. # Typ Dimnsions Fasibility Sufficint Upstram Habitat? Additional Barrirs Upstram? Safty Risk unnamd 1 gradint 24% ovr 575 m low no no high unnamd 2 gradint 167% ovr 48 m low no no high unnamd 5 gradint 29% ovr 140 m low ys no high Starfish 6 cascad 4.7 m high, 7 m modrat ys ys high long unnamd 47 cascad 5 m high, 9 m modrat no no low long unnamd 45 gradint 23% ovr 100 m low no no low unnamd 14 falls 10 m high low ys no high Johnson 23 falls 6.4 m high low ys ys high Moosbar 25 falls 1.93 m high modrat ys ys high Mogul 31 falls 6 m high low no ys modrat Gthing 34 falls 6 m high low ys ys high unnamd 49 gradint 20% ovr 600 m low no ys modrat FINAL Rport Pag 16

25 4.2 Habitat Complxing on Tributaris No instram works ar rcommndd on unnamd crk ( ), unnamd crk ( ), unnamd crk ( ), or Starfish Crk du to vidnc of xtrm bdload movmnt which would translat into a high liklihood of failur. Although lss xtrm than th first group, high bdload movmnt within Mogul Crk, Johnson Crk, and Gthing Crk would also prsnt a significant risk of failur if instram works wr implmntd. Pattndn and Ash (1993b) supportd this notion for Johnson Crk and Gthing Crk, and indicatd that rstoring upstram habitat (prsumably to stabiliz significant sdimnt sourcs) should b compltd bfor attmpting to nhanc rsrvoiraccssibl habitat. Givn that Agra (1996) idntifid 61 landslids and 20 channl bank failurs on Johnston Crk alon, addrssing vn a fraction of ths issus would b a vry costly ndavour. For unnamd crk ( ), habitat complxing is not considrd worthwhil sinc this stram has an intrmittnt channl with poor raring habitat quality and no spawning potntial obsrvd. Unnamd crk ( ) and Moosbar Crk appar to b mor stabl systms whr habitat complxing opportunitis could b viabl. Howvr, both of ths strams alrady hav rlativly high valu raring habitat, so attmpting to furthr nhanc this habitat would likly yild a limitd rturn on invstmnt in trms of incrasd productiv capacity in th Rsrvoir. Anothr considration might b a rdistribution concpt that would involv convrting raring habitat to spawning habitat in unnamd crk ( ) and Moosbar Crk, and thn offstting that altration by adding LWD and othr habitat complxs to th inlt bays for raring to achiv an ovrall nt gain to th productiv capacity for rainbow trout. This is not a strong option for unnamd crk ( ) du to th small avrag channl width (0.94 m) that would provid limitd staging ara for many fish pairs, and th rlativly stp avrag gradint (12% to 13%) is far from idal. Although th lowr 364 m of Moosbar Crk contains rainbow trout and is considrd rsrvoir-accssibl habitat, rmoving two small falls (1.2 m and 1.4 m) from th lowr 60 m should prcd any nhancmnt works upstram to maximiz th bnfit. Sinc high valu spawning and raring habitats ar currntly prsnt, furthr considration of th rdistribution concpt should commnc with a dtaild habitat survy following th fish habitat assssmnt procdur (FHAP), to fully valuat th xisting conditions. A sit prscription would b ncssary to formaliz th construction dsign plans for th instram spawning nhancmnt works, and th FHAP rsults would allow th amount of displacd raring habitat to b quantifid. A sit prscription would also b rquird for th raring nhancmnt activitis in th rsrvoir, which should b quivalnt to or gratr than th amount of raring habitat that was displacd from th stram. It should b notd that a significant lvl of uncrtainty would b associatd with any proposd works on Moosbar Crk with rgard to whthr th projct objctivs would b mt (i.. FINAL Rport Pag 17

26 achiving a nt gain in productiv capacity for rainbow trout). This is largly bcaus a functional systm currntly xists, which includs high valu raring and spawning habitat. As such, thr is no guarant rlocating an quivalnt or gratr amount of stram raring habitat into th rsrvoir will afford juvnils similar or bttr succss, spcially whn th limitd rsrvoir food supply idntifid by Pattndn and Ash (1993b) is considrd. To validat this stratgy, th baslin sampling program should includ spawning (i.. numration of adult spawnrs and/or a fry mrgnc program) and juvnil raring utilization componnts. At last on yar would b ndd but idally a multi-yar approach would b takn to idntify natural variability. Ovr a fiv yar monitoring program, it is suggstd that two yars occur prconstruction, and thr yars occur post-construction. 4.3 Crating Nw Tributary Habitat Du to th stp topography associatd with th rsrvoir and its tributaris, thr ar limitd opportunitis to crat nw habitat in th form of sid channls. Th bst option xists in a wid sction at th lowr nd of Johnson Crk, howvr, this systm currntly has som of th bst quality raring and spawning habitat in th rsrvoir (comparabl only to Gthing Crk). As such, it is qustionabl whthr a nt gain in productiv habitat capacity would rsult sinc partitioning flows into a nw sid channl would dtract from th xisting habitat capacity. 4.4 Drdging To addrss dwatring conditions at th lowr nd of svral strams, which is jointly causd by high bdload movmnt and rsrvoir oprations, drdging may b a viabl solution to trat th problm. This stratgy would rquir us of a barg to facilitat xcavator accss. Of th fiv tributaris that might bnfit from a drdging program, Starfish Crk and unnamd crk ( ) ar th bst two candidats sinc thy hav th highst quality habitat with th most availabl ara, and thy ar locatd nxt to ach othr (Tabl 4-2). Th major drawback to this concpt is that an ongoing commitmnt (likly annual) would b rquird to maintain dsird conditions at ach tributary conflunc with th rsrvoir. Howvr, th fiv yar maintnanc priod associatd with th implmntation phas of this Pac Watr Us Plan projct (i.. GMSWORKS#8) would provid an valuation priod do dtrmin whthr drdging is a practical long-trm option. Anothr point for considration is that drdging may hlp to rstor fr fish accss to xisting habitat that is currntly bing utilizd, but no nw habitat would b cratd or bcom accssibl bcaus of that initiativ. It is thrfor qustionabl whthr drdging would rsult in a masurabl incras to th productiv capacity of th Rsrvoir, sinc migration btwn th Rsrvoir and rlvant strams dos priodically occur as oftn as daily. A rlatd Pac WUP projct (i.. GMSMON#14), would addrss this concrn through baslin and post-construction monitoring. FINAL Rport Pag 18

27 Tabl 4-2. Priority ranking of tributaris affctd by rsrvoir oprations that might bnfit from a drdging program. Priority Rank WSC Tributary Nam Figur 3-1 Rfrnc # Rsrvoir-Accssibl Habitat (m 2 ) Raring Habitat Quality Spawning Habitat Quality Starfish Crk 6 3,901 modrat low/modrat unnamd crk 5 2,523 modrat low Mogul Crk low modrat unnamd crk 1 72 low low unnamd crk poor poor 4.5 Augmnting Tributary Flows To nhanc th potntial habitat capacity for rsrvoir-accssibl strams, opportunitis wr considrd whrby flow from non-fish baring drainags could b divrtd. With th additional flow, th rcipint stram(s) could potntially b widnd to crat nw habitat. Howvr, no viabl opportunitis xist. 4.6 Habitat Complxing within th Rsrvoir Although th primary objctiv of this projct was to idntify habitat nhancmnt opportunitis on tributaris to th rsrvoir, th limitd rang of viabl options naturally dircts furthr considration toward tratmnts within th rsrvoir. To dat, woody dbris complxs installd in svral bays hav provn ffctiv at incrasing fish us in tratd aras, and it is blivd that furthring this initiativ by adding mor wood to mor bays would b a sound stratgy for augmnting raring habitat. 4.7 Divrting Portag Crk and Bullrun Crk into th Rsrvoir Th concpt of divrting Portag Crk and Bullrun Crk into th Rsrvoir was originally put forward by a local BC Hydro mploy in rspons to BC Hydro s Rsourc Smart initiativ in 1989 to incras powr production at th Pac Canyon Dam. Pattndn and Ash (1993b) built on th ida by suggsting a fish habitat bnfit could b incorporatd in addition to powr production. PWFWCP staff xplord th concpt furthr with prliminary fild studis, and prsntd th ida during th initial WUP mting for th Pac (Langston, prs. comm.). Currntly both crks flow into th Pac Rivr just downstram of th Pac Canyon Dam, and hav impassabl barrirs locatd at thir confluncs. Th rainbow trout and longnos suckr populations in Portag Crk ar likly th rsult of illgal introductions by rsidnts (Langston and Murphy 2008). Evidntly, sufficint habitat to support ovrwintring xists sinc both spcis hav continud to prsist aftr th introductions. As dpictd in Figur 3-1, Portag Crk would rprsnt th most significant habitat gain, with approximatly 18 km of mainstm habitat and 2 km of tributary habitat to b mad accssibl. Bullrun Crk could rprsnt an additional 800 m of mainstm habitat and 450 m of tributary habitat. In total, an stimatd 21.5 km of nw stram habitat could bcom accssibl to rsrvoir fish. FINAL Rport Pag 19

28 With rspct to fasibility, commncing ralignmnt from a point on Portag Crk approximatly 1,800 m upstram of th Pac Rivr would b rcommndd in ordr to maintain a favourabl avrag gradint (2%), minimiz altration of xisting habitats, and avoid xisting infrastructur. This would rquir th construction of approximatly 1,850 m of nw channl. Th following considrations would hlp to facilitat an ffctiv final rsult and maintain cost control: 1. Us th xisting survyor s suggstd alignmnt to stimat cut/fill quantitis. Cut quantitis can b minimizd by varying th channl slop btwn 0.5% - 5% to accommodat xisting topography, and altring th alignmnt as appropriat. 2. Conduct tst pits along th proposd alignmnt to support th channl dsign. 3. An avrag channl width of 4 m would b about th right siz for th nw channl, sinc Portag has an avrag width of 3 m and Bullrun has an avrag width of 1.2 m. This width would also allow quipmnt to travl down th nw channl corridor during construction without nding to disturb th nw futur riparian habitat. 4. Dvlop th channl dsign to includ typical habitat faturs (dtrmin th numbr and spacing rquird). 5. Considr augmnting th nwly constructd channl with suitabl spawning substrat. FINAL Rport Pag 20

29 5.0 Conclusions and Rcommndations Th following conclusions hav rsultd from this study: Concrns that woody dbris accumulations from upstram logging ar rstricting fish accss to tributaris was not validatd during any stp of this projct (i.. litratur rviw, orthophoto rviw, and fild invstigations); A combination of rsrvoir oprations and high bdload movmnt ar causing accss rstrictions to fiv tributaris with rsrvoir-accssibl habitat; All rsrvoir-accssibl tributary habitat was comprhnsivly valuatd. It was stimatd that 51,326 m 2 xists (of which 41,570 m 2 is split btwn Johnson Crk and Gthing Crk); Accssibl tributary habitat appars to b a major factor limiting fish production in th Dinosaur Rsrvoir; This study adquatly charactrizd nhancmnt opportunitis for all tributaris to th Dinosaur Rsrvoir and dtrmind that: o No viabl barrir rmoval opportunitis wr idntifid that would significantly incras th amount of accssibl tributary habitat; o Most accssibl tributaris ar not considrd suitabl candidats for habitat complxing initiativs du to chronic bdload movmnt and unstabl canyon conditions; o Accssibl tributary habitats on stabl strams (i.. Moosbar Crk and unnamd crk ( )) ar considrd functional and provid limitd opportunitis for habitat complxing nhancmnts; o Convrting high valu raring habitat into spawning habitat on Moosbar Crk, and offstting that altration by habitat complxing th inlt bay for raring may achiv an ovrall nt gain to th productiv capacity for rainbow trout, but rsults would hav a significant lvl of uncrtainty; o Th lowr nd of Johnson Crk is th bst candidat location for nw sid channl cration, but partitioning flow from th xisting channl may not rsult in nt gains in productiv habitat capacity; and o No viabl opportunitis xist for augmnting flows in accssibl strams. Drdging to rmov aggrgatd bdload at stram confluncs may b viabl, but would rquir an ongoing maintnanc commitmnt. Starfish Crk and unnamd crk ( ) ar th two bst candidats. Howvr, th bst opportunitis for nhancing th productiv capacity for fish in th Dinosaur Rsrvoir includ: Divrting Portag Crk and Bullrun Crk into th Dinosaur Rsrvoir. Th gratst bnfit of this nwly accssibl habitat would b for raring, although an ffort could also b mad to augmnt spawning habitat within th 1,850 m long nw channl sction; and Continuing to add woody dbris to th rsrvoir bays is a provn stratgy to incras raring habitat quality. BC Hydro will utiliz th information providd in this rport in its implmntation of th followup Pac Watr Us Plan projct GMSWORKS#8 Dinosaur Rsrvoir Dmonstration FINAL Rport Pag 21

30 Tributary, which is dsignd to considr th potntial fish habitat and/or accss rstoration in mor dtail and undrtak th rquird rmdial works and maintnanc ovr th fiv yar lif of th projct. A rlatd Pac WUP projct GMSMON#14 Dinosaur Tributary Habitat, would facilitat baslin and post-construction monitoring to valuat thr ky managmnt qustions: 1. Is th tributary nhancmnt work ffctiv at incrasing usabl habitat? 2. Is th ara and quality of fish habitat cratd by th tributary nhancmnt work sufficint to noticably incras spawning and raring opportunitis in th rsrvoir? 3. Is th ara and quality of fish habitat cratd by th tributary nhancmnt maintaind ovr tim? FINAL Rport Pag 22

31 6.0 Rfrncs Agra Earth and Environmntal Limitd Johnson Crk lvl 1 watrshd assssmnt. Unpublishd rport prpard for Ministry of Forsts, Dawson Crk Forst District. 13 pp plus appndix. Aquatic Rsourcs Ltd. 1999a rconnaissanc (1:20,000) fish and fish habitat invntory of Stott and uppr Gaylard crks, Gthing Landscap Unit. Unpublishd rport compltd for Canadian Forst Products Ltd. (Chtwynd Division). Aquatic Rsourcs Ltd. 1999b rconnaissanc (1:20,000) fish and fish habitat invntory of Johnson and othr tributaris to Dinosaur Rsrvoir, Johnson Landscap Unit. Unpublishd rport compltd for Canadian Forst Products Ltd. (Chtwynd Division). BC Hydro Pac projct watr us plan, physical works trms of rfrnc: GMSWORKS-8 and GMSWORKS-9 Dinosaur Rsrvoir tributary invntory and fasibility. Blackman, B.G., E.B. Murphy, and D. Cowi Dinosaur Rsrvoir littoral fish population and habitat nhancmnt assssmnts. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Blackman, B.G. and D.M. Cowi assssmnt of habitat improvmnts in Dinosaur Rsrvoir. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp. Cowi, D.M Dinosaur Rsrvoir and Pac Rivr voluntr crl summary 2003 Prmit #SC , Rport No pp. Euchnr, T Idntification of potntial lak trout spawning aras in th Dinosaur Rsrvoir, Prpard for /Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Harvy, K Pac Fishris fild rport. Unpublishd fild rport prpard for BC Hydro. Hatfild Consultants Ltd Rconnaissanc invntory of Mooscall Lak WSC: , watrbody idntifir: 01057UPCE. Unpublishd rport prpard for Canadian Forst Products Ltd. (Chtwynd Division). 18 pp plus appndics. Johnston, N.T. and P.A. Slany Fish habitat assssmnt procdurs. Ministry of Environmnt, Lands and Parks and Ministry of Forsts, Watrshd Rstoration Program, Tchnical Circular 8. Joslin, J. 2001a Dinosaur Rsrvoir crl survy rport. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. FINAL Rport Pag 23

32 Joslin, J. 2001b Dinosaur Rsrvoir crl survy rport. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Langston, A.R Gthing Crk bull trout translocation projct, 1993 to Pac/ Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp. plus appndics. Langston, A.R. and E.B. Murphy Th history of fish introductions (to 2005) in th Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation ara. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp. Langston, A.R. and R.J. Zmlak A rconnaissanc survy of Gaylard Crk and bull trout habitat suitability, Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Murphy, E.B. and B.G. Blackman Dinosaur Rsrvoir 2001 fish collction summary. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Murphy, E.B., B.G. Blackman, D.M. Cowi, and N. Baccant Dinosaur Rsrvoir 2002 fish collction summary. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Nwsholm, K. and T. Euchnr Fish counting fnc opration on Johnson Crk, Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Pattndn, R. and G. Ash. 1993a. Dinosaur Lak summr crl survys, Rsults of th 1988 program and a fiv yar rviw ( ). Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Pattndn, R. and G. Ash. 1993b. Fishris nhancmnt options for Dinosaur Lak, a rviw. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. Pac Country Matrials Tsting Ltd Lvl II hillslop and road assssmnt Burnt Trail Crk sits I and II. Unpublishd rport prpard for BC Ministry of Forsts, Dawson Crk. Provinc of British Columbia Rconnaissanc (1:20,000) fish and fish habitat invntory: standards and procdurs vrsion 2. BC Ministry of Fishris, Victoria, BC. Provinc of British Columbia. 2007a. Ministry of Environmnt Cross-linkd information rsourcs. Accssd Jun 30, Provinc of British Columbia. 2007b. Ministry of Environmnt Fishris invntory data quris (FDIQ). Accssd Jun 30, FINAL Rport Pag 24

33 a c7bbfd0fbc11.3uMah8KbhmL34PaNqTaNaPbxr0n6jAmljGr5XDqQL vpa. Provinc of British Columbia. 2007c. Ministry of Environmnt HabitatWizard. Accssd July 2, Stimr, R Dinosaur Rsrvoir crl survy rport. Pac/Williston Fish and Wildlif Compnsation Program, Rport No pp plus appndics. FINAL Rport Pag 25

34 APPENDIX 1 PHOTOGRAPHS FINAL Rport Appndix 1

35 Plat 1. Viw of unnamd crk ( ) from th rsrvoir. Plat 2. Viw of th gradint barrir on unnamd crk ( ), 96 m upstram from th rsrvoir conflunc. Plat 3. Showing th channl bd on unnamd crk ( ). Plat 4. Downstram viw toward th rsrvoir showing dwatring at th lowr nd of unnamd crk ( ). FINAL Rport Appndix 1

36 Plat 5. Viw of unnamd crk ( ) from th rsrvoir. Plat 6. Viw of th gradint barrir on unnamd crk ( ), 350 m upstram from th rsrvoir conflunc. Plat 7. Showing th channl bd on unnamd crk ( ). Plat 8. Downstram viw toward th rsrvoir showing dwatring at th lowr nd of unnamd crk ( ). FINAL Rport Appndix 1

37 Plat 9. Viw of unnamd crk ( ) from th rsrvoir. Plat 10. Viw of th gradint barrir on unnamd crk ( ), 647 m upstram from th rsrvoir conflunc. Plat 11. Downstram viw of th channl on unnamd crk ( ), 300 m upstram of th rsrvoir. Plat 12. Showing th start of wttd channl conditions on unnamd crk ( ), 146 m upstram of th rsrvoir. FINAL Rport Appndix 1

38 Plat 13. Viw of Starfish Crk from th rsrvoir. Plat 14. Viw of th 4.7 m high, 7 m long cascad barrir on Starfish Crk, 668 m upstram from th rsrvoir conflunc. Plat 15. Upstram viw of th channl on Starfish Crk, ~590 m upstram of th rsrvoir. Plat 16. Downstram viw of th channl on Starfish Crk, ~460 m upstram of th rsrvoir. FINAL Rport Appndix 1

39 Plat 17. Downstram viw of channl on unnamd crk ( ), 80 m upstram of th rsrvoir. Plat 18. Viw of th 10 m falls barrir on unnamd crk ( ), 246 m upstram from th rsrvoir conflunc. Plat 19. Downstram viw of channl on unnamd crk ( ), 246 m upstram from th rsrvoir. Plat 20. Downstram viw toward th rsrvoir at th lowr nd of unnamd crk ( ). FINAL Rport Appndix 1

40 Plat 21. Viw of unnamd crk ( ) from th rsrvoir showing th 5 m high, 9 m long cascad barrir at th conflunc. Plat 22. Downstram viw of channl on unnamd crk ( ), 20 m upstram of th rsrvoir. Plat 23. Viw of unnamd crk ( ) from th rsrvoir. Plat 24. Upstram viw of th intrmittnt channl on unnamd crk ( ), 60 m upstram of th rsrvoir. FINAL Rport Appndix 1

41 Plat 25. Viw of Johnson Crk from th rsrvoir. Plat 26. Viw of th 6.4 m falls barrir on Johnson Crk, 1043 m upstram from th rsrvoir conflunc. Plat 27. Viw of th 25 m high uppr falls on Johnson Crk, 1598 m upstram from th rsrvoir conflunc. Plat 28. Downstram viw of channl on Johnson Crk, 475 m upstram from th rsrvoir. FINAL Rport Appndix 1

42 Plat 29. Viw of Moosbar Crk from th rsrvoir. Plat 30. Viw of th 1.2 m falls (forground) and 1.4 m falls (background) on Moosbar Crk, 50 m upstram from th rsrvoir. Plat 31. Downstram viw of typical channl habitat on Moosbar Crk. Plat 32. Viw of th 1.93 m falls (forground) and 10 m falls (background) on Moosbar Crk, 349 m upstram from th rsrvoir. FINAL Rport Appndix 1

43 Plat 33. Viw of Mogul Crk from th rsrvoir. Plat 34. Viw of th 6 m falls barrir on Mogul Crk, 81 m upstram from th rsrvoir. Plat 35. Viw of th 2 m falls (forground) and 3 m falls (background) on Mogul Crk, 106 m upstram from th rsrvoir. Plat 36. Downstram viw of th channl on Mogul Crk. FINAL Rport Appndix 1

44 Plat 37. Viw of Gthing Crk from th rsrvoir. Plat 38. Viw of th 6 m falls barrir on Gthing Crk, 675 m upstram from th rsrvoir. Plat 39. Upstram viw of th channl on Gthing Crk, 430 m upstram of th rsrvoir. Plat 40. Upstram viw of th channl on Gthing Crk, 600 m upstram of th rsrvoir. FINAL Rport Appndix 1

45 Plat 41. Viw of th shorlin whr unnamd crk ( ) sps into th rsrvoir. Plat 42. Upstram viw showing th stp bouldr slop through which unnamd crk ( ) sps down to th rsrvoir. Plat 43. Upstram viw of channl on Bullrun Crk, 290 m upstram of th Pac Rivr conflunc. Plat 44. Downstram viw of channl on Bullrun Crk. FINAL Rport Appndix 1

46 Plat 45. Showing th stp (~20 m) drop from Portag Crk down to th Pac Rivr. Plat 46. Upstram viw of channl habitat on Portag Crk, 200 m upstram of th Pac Rivr conflunc. Plat 47. Downstram viw of channl habitat on Portag Crk, 200 m upstram of th Pac Rivr conflunc. FINAL Rport Appndix 1