SQUAMISH RIVER ESTUARY
central estuary restoration
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On September 21 2019, first-year BCIT Ecological Restoration students and instructors came out to Squamish and helped re-vegetate the restoration site around the newly replaced culvert. There were many ferns and shrubs placed back in the ground and along the slopes to help stabilize the banks. On the estuary side, lyngby sedge and Douglas asters were also put into the mud flats. All these native plants will eventually shade the channel, which will help to keep the waters cool for salmon when the sun is shining bright and collect bugs for salmon to munch on. We look forward to watching these plants thrive in their new habitat, along with the creatures that will call them home. Thank you BCIT ER for the hard work!  The Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS), in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation is currently implementing phase 1 of the Central Estuary Restoration Project. Phase 1 of the project is focused on upgrading an existing culvert to improve fish access between the Squamish River and the estuary, and active construction for this commenced in April 2019.
Visitors to the site over the weekend may have notice that we haven't pulled the dam from the river as we had hoped to do on Friday due to construction delays in the ever changing estuary environment. We are happy to report that we were able to remove the dam in the morning low tide cycle today - the culvert open to flow and fish! Due to construction delays, we need to extend the daily road closure currently in effect. The following road closures have been added to finalize road reconstruction:
After this week, there will still be equipment working on site and we do not anticipate the need for additional road closures, though there may be a requirement for single lane traffic depending on works. Thank-you for your continued understanding as we work restore fish access to the estuary for juvenile Chinook Salmon in their rearing life stage, as they emerge from the river systems and transition for life at sea. The Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS), in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation is currently implementing phase 1 of the Central Estuary Restoration Project. Phase 1 of the project is focused on upgrading an existing culvert to improve fish access between the Squamish River and the estuary, and active construction for this commenced in April 2019.
We have been busy placing 100kg, 500kg and 1000kg rip-rap a.k.a. really big rocks at the inlet and outlet of the box culvert in the past week. This is to limit scouring from water flows to maintain the integrity of the culvert. This scour protection rip-rap has been designed to withstand a 200 year river flood event, that coincides with a low tide event resulting in a high flow volume and velocity from the river to the estuary. As the rip-rap placement wraps up, we are pulling the dam today that has been in place throughout construction and allow the water to flow from the river to the estuary. This is a very exciting project milestone for us and the fish! We have also been releasing juvenile Chinook in the river that have been tagged with pit and acoustic telemetry tags in the past week, and more will be released next week. This will tell us if they are using the culvert and where in the lower flood plain they are swimming adding to our 5 year fish monitoring data set in the area used to support an adaptive management approach to habitat restoration. To accommodate final road reconstruction and bank restoration the road will be closed to traffic between 7am - 5pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week (May 27, 28, 29th). We appreciate your continued understanding and support as we undertake this work that is critical to the survival of juvenile salmonids, particularly Chinook – an at risk species that is a primary food source for the southern resident killer whales. For more information on the science that has informed this project please visit: https://www.squamishwatershed.com/cerp-updates/juvenile-chinook-an-at-risk-species-limited-by-the-squamish-river-training-berm Questions can be directed to srws@shaw.ca The Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS), in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation is currently implementing phase 1 of the Central Estuary Restoration Project. Phase 1 of the project is focused on upgrading an existing culvert to improve fish access between the Squamish River and the estuary, and active construction for this commenced in April 2019. Since placing the culvert last week crews have been busy back filling the area, with the goal to partially reopen the road to traffic for May 15th. Work has been proceeding well, and we are scheduled to open the area to single lane car access at noon (12 pm) on May 15, 2019 Active construction including the placement of rip-rap on the estuary and river side of the culvert, delivery of large rock and materials, and re-vegetation will be on going until June 2019. Those accessing the area are asked to approach with caution, and comply with all safety signage and direction from flagging staff. To accommodate works road access may be limited without notice at night, and those accessing in day time can expect intermittent delays. Adherence to onsite safety measures will support continued access during this time, please be kind to our flagging staff and remember they are there to keep you safe while we work to restore critical fish habitat. We are doing our best to accommodate access while completing works. Unforeseen changes may require intermittent closures to maintain public safety. Should this be necessary we will provide updates with as much notice as possible. We appreciate your continued understanding and support as we undertake this work that is critical to the survival of juvenile salmonids, particularly Chinook – an at risk species that is a primary food source for the southern resident killer whales. For more information on the science that has informed this project please visit: https://www.squamishwatershed.com/cerp-updates/juvenile-chinook-an-at-risk-species-limited-by-the-squamish-river-training-berm Questions can be directed to srws@shaw.ca  The Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS), in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation is currently implementing phase 1 of the Central Estuary Restoration Project. Phase 1 of the project is focused on upgrading an existing culvert to improve fish access between the Squamish River and the estuary, and active construction for this commenced in April 2019.
This week was the week we were have been preparing for and it was all hands on deck to advance construction as the tides moved into their bi-weekly low tide cycle. The lower tides allowed us successfully place the box culvert foundation and pieces in place. The 11 box culvert pieces, each weighing in at 17,000 kg, and 2 box culvert head walls weighing in at 22,000 kg were gently placed and assembled in their resting spot. Works were guided by the expertise of our supplier, design engineers, contractor, crane operator and Fisheries and Oceans Canada engineering staff who are supervising works. It took a big team to realize this weeks work and we are happy to report that it came together like clockwork! We remain on schedule and are doing our best to partially re-open the road to traffic by May 15th for the start of the upcoming windsport season. Once the culvert is in place and the road reinstated, we will be placing rip-rap on the estuary and river side of the inlet/outlet until June 2019. We continue to work in collaboration with all stakeholders and will update this blog site when the road is open again to traffic. We appreciate your continued understanding and support as we undertake this work that is critical to the survival of juvenile salmonids, particularly Chinook – an at risk species that is a primary food source for the southern resident killer whales. For more information on the science that has informed this project please visit: https://www.squamishwatershed.com/cerp-updates/juvenile-chinook-an-at-risk-species-limited-by-the-squamish-river-training-berm Questions can be directed to srws@shaw.ca The Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS), in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation is currently implementing phase 1 of the Central Estuary Restoration Project. Phase 1 of the project is focused on upgrading an existing culvert to improve fish access between the Squamish River and the estuary, and active construction for this commenced in April 2019.
It was a busy and exciting week on the site as we prepare for box culvert install next week. The new culvert is no small pipe! it measures 3m x 3m, and spans roughly 30m long when assembled. This week was spent excavating the existing damaged culvert, preparing the pad for the crane needed to lift culvert sections, and receiving the culvert pieces that came up on 7 over-sized loads from Langley! Works are proceeding on schedule, and we will be taking advantage of next week’s low tide windows to lay the culvert foundations, and assemble the 11 culvert pieces, and 2 headwalls into to place. Fisheries and Oceans Canada staff are onsite supervising works, and the road remains temporarily closed to traffic. We are doing our best to partially re-open the road to traffic by May 15th for the start of the upcoming windsport season. Once the culvert is in place and the road reinstated, we will be placing rip-rap on the estuary and river side of the inlet/outlet until June 2019. We continue to work in collaboration with all stakeholders including the Squamish Windsports Society’s Board of Directors to communicate construction updates to the windsport community and the general public. We appreciate your continued understanding and support as we undertake this work that is critical to the survival of juvenile salmonids, particularly Chinook – an at risk species that is a primary food source for the southern resident killer whales. For more information on the science that has informed this project please visit: https://www.squamishwatershed.com/cerp-updates/juvenile-chinook-an-at-risk-species-limited-by-the-squamish-river-training-berm Questions can be directed to srws@shaw.ca The Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS) is currently implementing phase 1 of the Central Estuary Restoration Project (CERP). Phase 1 of the project is focused on upgrading an existing culvert to improve fish access between the Squamish River and the estuary, and active construction for this commenced in April 2019. Phase 1 involves the replacement of an existing 1.2 m damaged culvert with a 3 m x 3 m box culvert approximately half way down the Spit Road. This will improve the surface water flows between the estuary and river that is necessary to accommodate fish access, as the existing culvert can be perched or inundated depending on tidal fluctuations.
As the culvert is to be placed below the natural grade of the land, works need to occur in our bi-annual low tide window experienced in late spring, and more specifically within bi-weekly low tide cycles. The work scope includes excavation of the existing road and culvert, culvert placement, reinstatement of the road surface, placement of protective rip-rap on the estuary and river sides of the structure and re-vegetation of the area. These works are scheduled to take place in the available work windows between April and June 2019. During the site excavation, culvert placement, and road reinstatement scheduled for April-May 2019 the road will be partially and fully closed to traffic. It is the intent of the project team to maintain road access as much as reasonably possible, but at the discretion of Fisheries and Oceans staff who are supervising the project, for public safety reasons full closures will be required until we are otherwise directed. The SRWS is working in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation and has been in ongoing discussions with the Province of BC, District of Squamish and Squamish Windsports Society and other community and industry stakeholders. We are doing our best to ensure a smooth access for the start of the Winds Sports season for May 15, as per our discussions with the Squamish Windsports Society and in accordance with their agreement with the District of Squamish and Provincial Government. To view the wildlife management area plan that defines recreational access and other fish and wildlife management objectives please visit: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/planning/mgmtplns/skwelwilem_wma/skelwil%27em__wma_mp.pdf For background on the science and decision making that has informed the need for this restoration project please visit: https://www.squamishwatershed.com/cerp-updates/juvenile-chinook-an-at-risk-species-limited-by-the-squamish-river-training-berm For information on phases 2 & 3 of the project that are currently in planning phase please visit: https://www.squamishwatershed.com/central-estuary-restoration.html Major projects of this nature, in highly variable environments, are subject to change and the SRWS remains committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to minimize traffic disruptions, realize habitat restoration efforts, and keep the public informed our changes as they may arise. We appreciate your understanding as we undertake this habitat restoration work that is critical to the survival of Chinook salmon. Questions can be directed to srws@shaw.ca. The Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS) is a registered charitable non-profit organization that takes a collaborative approach to watershed management. We work in partnership with industry, First Nations, community and government stakeholders to preserve and restore the integrity of the Squamish River watershed. The SRWS has been leading restoration enhancement projects from the headwaters to the flood plain of the Squamish estuary since 1998. The Squamish River training berm, known locally as the Spit Road, was installed in the 1970s to 'train' the river to the west bank, and accommodate a deep sea coal port in the central estuary. The river was also dredged at this time, and the dredge material was placed on the central estuary to infill the area for port facilities. Following road building and infilling works public concern was raised on the continued industrialization of the Squamish Estuary. To address this the federal and provincial governments of the day halted further construction works, and started the Squamish Estuary Management Planning process in the late 1970s to maintain a balanced approach to development in critical habitat. While construction was halted, the road that bisects the estuary and the infill remained. The outcome of this federal-provincial planning process is summarized in the 1982 and 1999 Squamish Estuary Management Plan, and 2007 Skwelwil'em-Squamish Wildlife Management Area Plan wherein opportunities to restore, enhance and maintain fish and wildlife habitat in the area that had been previously impacted are identified. The SRWS has been implementing restoration and enhancement works identified through the estuary planning process. This included the successful removal of the dredge material from the central estuary, restoration of tidal channels in the estuary and re-connection of the river and the estuary through a series of 9 culverts placed across the training berm (2001 – 2013). The culverts were installed to allow for freshwater-saltwater exchange in the estuary, and for fish passage for juvenile salmonids that are emerging from the river. In this rearing life stage salmonids require access to the estuary as they undergo physiological transitions needed for their life at sea. For the past five years, the SRWS has been undertaking fisheries assessment work to determine if the 9 culverts are permitting fish access. From this work it has been determined the culverts are not effectively permitting fish access from the river into the estuary and the restored habitat in the estuary is significantly underutilized, especially by juvenile Chinook salmon. Result suggest the training berm is essentially flushing the juvenile fish to deep ocean, and is likely effecting stock survival rates. When compared to other estuaries, the presence of fish in the Squamish Estuary is devastatingly low despite considerable and ongoing efforts to restore access and habitat since the 1970s. Beach seine, fyke net and minnow trapping and pit tagging across multiple years has been applied to assess fish presences to date, comparing this data with known values of emerging salmon from the Cheakamus River determined using rotary screw traps. In 2019 we will be expanding our fish monitoring program to include acoustic telemetry tagging that will provide insight into the spatial distribution of fish in the estuary. Pacific Salmon, particularly Chinook species, are under considerable stress and populations have been in decline for years. In 2019 Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced that all but 1 of the 13 Chinook Salmon Fraser River Chinook salmon populations are at risk, which is consistent with local assessment findings. Fisheries and Oceans Canada outline that the science is clear and the loss of these populations would be disastrous to resource-recreation economies, and the fish and wildlife that depend on this species. In particular, the Southern Resident Killer Whale Population, that is listed as endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act feeds on Chinook salmon as their primary food source. In partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation the SRWS was awarded funding in 2017 for the Central Estuary Restoration Project to improve fish habitat and access, particularly for juvenile Chinook in the estuary. The three phases of the project include:
Since initial funding was awarded the SRWS has been working with the province of BC, District of Squamish and community and industry stakeholders on the planning and implementation of the project. Detailed river and coastal flood modeling, sediment transport analysis, biophysical, fish, bathymetric and geotechnical assessment are being undertaken to inform project engineering and design. Question can be directed to srws@shaw.ca and for more information on the project please visit: https://www.squamishwatershed.com/central-estuary-restoration.html To maintain public safety the south end of the Squamish River Training Berm (the Spit Road) is shut down to traffic until further notice to accommodate heavy equipment operation. The SRWS is striving to maintain intermittent access to the Spit as works permit in the next week but works currently require full closure. Notices will be placed if intermittent access resumes.
Intermittent and full closure to vehicle access can be expected through May 2019, with side channel work carrying on through June 2019 as works are limited by available low tide windows. Updates will be posted on the blog as they become available. We appreciate your understanding as we work to complete this important habitat restoration work to improve access for juvenile salmon from the Squamish River in the the estuary. Questions can be directed to srws@shaw.ca and for more information on the habitat restoration project please visit: https://www.squamishwatershed.com/central-estuary-restoration.html  We are pleased to announce we will be moving forward with phase 1 of the Central Estuary Restoration Project. Culvert 3 (see yellow arrow in photo) will be replaced with a 3m x 3m box culvert to improve fish access at this location. As of April 22, 2019 there will be heavy equipment operating onsite. The road will remain open to the public from April 22 - 28 as the site is prepared, materials are transported for construction. On April 29, 2019 the lower portion of the road will be closed to traffic (approx. location see red sign in photo) to allow for removal and replacement of the culvert during the low tide windows.
The project team is working toward a goal of reopening the road to traffic by May 15th, and will continue to undertake work in the side channel areas during the low tide windows in May and June. Re-vegetation of the site will take place following active construction works. Works schedules are subject to change when working in this highly variable environment, and the SRWS will update stakeholders and the community of any unforeseen changes to our schedule. This project is being undertaken in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation, and the support of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource and Rural Operations, the District of Squamish, and in consultation with various community stakeholders including the Squamish Windsport Society. Please share this news with anyone who you think may be interested or who uses this Spit Road and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments at srws@shaw.ca or 604 892 7919. Thank you for your patience as we undertake this exciting project. Our intention is to improve fish access from the Squamish River into the Central Estuary for juvenile salmonids, in particular Chinook salmon, as they make their way down the rivers and make the physiological transition to life at sea. To find out more about the project, please visit Central Estuary Restoration. |
SRWSThe Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS), formed in 1998, takes a holistic approach towards watershed management, examining the headwaters down to the estuary and into Howe Sound. We are committed to enhancing and preserving the integrity of the Squamish Watershed, focusing on key environmental factors and human influences. Archives
June 2021
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