Towards Sustainable Use of Water. A site visit to the Coquitlam Watershed and discussion
of the Coquitlam Water Use Plan
Field Trip Leaders Alf Leake, BC Hydro; Michael Harstone, Compass Resource Management; Craig Orr,
Watershed Watch Salmon Society; Mike Carver, City of Coquitlam; Dave Dunkley and Alfred Chu,
Greater Vancouver Regional District.
The integrity of urban rivers is often impaired by increased demand for source water. The lower
Coquitlam Watershed is a prime example of this: it is an urban and heavily altered watershed that has ever
increasing demands placed on it to meet multiple and competing interests (environmental, social and
financial). For example, Coquitlam River salmon have been impacted for more than a century by
hydroelectric facilities located at the outlet of Coquitlam Lake. Coquitlam Lake is also the main drinking
water supply for the burgeoning population of Greater Vancouver.
Participants will engage in discussions and site visits to learn about the initiatives that have been recently
completed (and underway) that address and try to restore past development impacts, as well as plan for
more sustainable use of water resources for the future in the Coquitlam Watershed. Themes will include a
discussion of upstream issues such as source water protection, demand and allocation of limited and finite
water resources, and restoration of sockeye salmon to the reservoir; and downstream issues including
instream and floodplain related topics such as integration of traditional knowledge in resource planning,
and effects of urbanization, and stormwater and flood management on the integrity of the Coquitlam
water supply.
Details of field trip
Providing water for salmon
The public, industry, First Nations and government agencies recently and unanimously agreed that
environmental interests should be a much higher priority than they have been in the planning and
allocation of water resources in the area. Moreover, this consultative group was willing to make
significant financial trade-offs for a more optimal decision that better balanced environmental and social
objectives. Many of these same groups are also meeting in a structured decision-making process to assess
the feasibility of restoring fish access through the dam and into Coquitlam Lake.
Under the amended water license, flows in the river are set to double in 2007. The benefits of these flow
increases to fish and river productivity will be monitored through 2015. Additional studies are being
conducted to determine the feasibility of !!restoring! a unique spring run of extirpated sockeye salmon
above the Coquitlam Dam. A tour of the river will be led by the agencies and consultants responsible for
implementing the water use plan, fish passage studies, and consultative and monitoring programs.
Participants will learn about water use planning objectives and monitoring programs, visit restoration
projects, and meet those involved with this urban river.!
WATER AND CITIES: ACTING ON THE VISION- A Ting Dialogue
Wednesday, June 14
Ensuring drinking water supplies
As part of the water use planning process, the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) also secured
increased water allocations that would be part of the water system for Greater Vancouver beyond 2030.
Negotiations beyond the review period defined during the water use plan were held between BC Hydro
and GVRD. To ensure that drinking water will continue to meet increasingly difficult standards, an
ultraviolet treatment system is being built for the Coquitlam water supply. Participants will tour the
existing treatment facilities and discuss the coming upgrades and rationale.!
Addressing the Impacts of Urbanization
The Lower Coquitlam River is also greatly affected by urban encroachment: development, urban runoff,
and flood protection dyking have all simplified the channel network and reduced off channel habitat.
Participants will tour LaFarge Lake, an urban runoff collection project that stabilizes inflows to the
Coquitlam River, while providing a recreation site for Coquitlam residents.!
Finally, participants will tour the dyking projects of Port Coquitlam, which are currently under increased
scrutiny given the increased flooding risk caused by urban growth and degrading infrastructure. As a
result of the Water Use Planning process, the cities in the watershed have better recognized their
responsibility to mitigate flood risk through dyking improvements or through appeal of the Water Use
Plan. Choosing to appeal the WUP process poses several questions revolving around conflicting public
interests.
Itinerary:
9:00 Coquitlam Dam - discuss the Water Use Plan, Salmon Restoration and Seismic upgrade:
stakeholder engagement and consensus building in resource management
10:00 Tour of the Coquitlam treatment facilities: protection of source water and treatment for long term
provision
11:30 Water Use Planning and habitat restoration for the production of salmon and restoration of an urban
fish stream
1:30 Lunch and learn picnic area. LaFarge Lake: urban runoff collection for stream protection and
recreation
2:30 Port Coquitlam and/or Colony Farms site visit: unresolved urban issues - flood protection risks for
growing cities in managed watersheds AND resource extraction for urban growth (gravel pits)
4:30 Arrive at SFU Vancouver
5:00 Reception at Harbour Centre
WATER AND CITIES: ACTING ON THE VISION- A Ting Dialogue
Wednesday, June 14
Coquitlam River Watershed Field Trip – June 14, 2006
Logistics – Tour buses and passengers will meet with field trip leaders at the GVRD
Coquitlam Watershed Gate, top of Pipeline Road, just before 9:00 am. A brief
orientation of the activities going on at the dam will be conducted before heading to our
first tour stop.
Tour Description:
(1a,b,c) – Water Use Planning, Coquitlam Salmon Restoration Project and Coquitlam
Dam Seismic Upgrade Project:
As a result of water use planning (WUP), flows in the Coquitlam River below Coquitlam
Dam will be increasing significantly to support spawning and rearing requirements of
river salmonids (see Figure 1). The WUP also secures drinking water provisions for the
GVRD from the Coquitlam Reservoir for the foreseeable future. Water Use Planning
was a multi-stakeholder process to review operations of BC Hydro projects and to
recommend improvements that meet today’s values. Results of follow-up surveys have
demonstrated the successes achieved in the level of consultation conducted for this
process.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/water_use_planning/cabinet/wup.pdf
The Coquitlam Salmon Restoration project was “spawned” from the WUP, as a means of
looking into the feasibility of restoring salmon above the Coquitlam Dam. Because of
the complex nature of this assessment, WUP could not address this issue in that process.
There are several questions to address in this project (Figure 2), the most significant
being the impact of restoration on drinking water quality in the Coquitlam Reservoir.
This multi-year project is using a similar process model as was used in the WUP to
determine feasibility.
The Coquitlam Dam seismic upgrade project was initiated as a result of increased dam
safety specifications, which highlighted aspects of the dam’s earthfill design which make
it susceptible to breach during severe earthquakes. The project will bring the dam into
compliance with dam safety specifications, while increasing the capacity for GVRD’s
drinking water intake. The upgrade will include a downstream earthfilled embankment
(Figure 3).
http://www.bchydro.com/info/system/system38063.html
(2) – Coquitlam Drinking Water Treatment Facilities:
The Coquitlam Reservoir and drinking water facilities provide approximately 20% of the
drinking water supply for the Lower Mainland, along with Capilano (40%) and Seymour
(40%) systems. GVRD currently draws a maximum of 14 cubic metres per second (cms)
from the reservoir and has negotiated an increase to nearly 20 cms to provide reliable
water supply for 30 years of population growth in the region.
The water treatment plant at the Coquitlam source uses ozone for primary disinfection,
soda ash for corrosion control and chlorine for secondary disinfection (see Figure 4). This
treatment addresses the known risks to microbiological water quality (such as giardia).
However, this occurs with the awareness that the levels of cryptosporidium in the source
water are very low and that ozonation is only partially effective in disinfecting for
cryptosporidium. New research suggests that the primary disinfection treatment of
Coquitlam source water for cryptosporidium needs to be improved. Therefore, ultraviolet
treatment is being added to this source.
http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/water/watersheds.htm
(3) – Archery Ponds Enhancement Site and Gravel Pit Lunch and Learn:
The Archery Ponds habitat enhancement is one of several enhancements located on the
Coquitlam River, sponsored by several community groups, BC Hydro and Department of
Fisheries and Oceans. The Upper Coquitlam River Park provides an ideal location to use
city lands to provide both off channel habitat for enhancement projects and public access
for recreation and information. The project is a series of ponds and spawning platform,
and produce about 5% of the coho smolts in the river. Due to the lack of off channel
habitat taken up by urban encroachment, dyking and water diversion via the Coquitlam
Dam, Coquitlam River fisheries rely on the long term viability and improvement of
habitat enhancements. Other enhancements include:
! Grant’s Tomb and Swoboda spawning channel – to be remodified during the
seismic upgrade, contributes 5% to Coquitlam River coho production;
! Or Creek ponds – comprises 10% of coho production
! Overland ponds – currently comprises 30% of coho production
! Maple Creek enhancement and hatchery – flow control and fish culture
improvements
! River Springs/Oxbow Channel – provision of rearing and extensive salmon
spawning platforms.
In addition to physical enhancements, the Al Grist Memorial hatchery on the Coquitlam
River produces chum, coho and Chinook salmon fry to improve salmon stocks to the
Coquitlam River. The hatchery is run by the Port Coquitlam Rod and Gun Club in close
partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
There are three major gravel operators in the Coquitlam River watershed (Jack Cewe Ltd,
Allard Contractors, and Coquitlam Sand and Gravel), which form the primary land use in
the upper parts of the watershed below the GVRD watershed boundary. The impact of
gravel mining in the watershed has proven difficult to manage, given the historic
authorizations for operations by regulatory agencies and the increased demand for gravel
in the Lower Mainland spurred by recent construction activities. In addition to substrate
monitoring under the WUP, there exists an Aggregate Task Force to help assess and
manage the issues involved in Coquitlam watershed gravel operations.
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
1-Jan
1-Mar
1-Apr
Treatment 1 - Status Quo
1-Feb
1-Jun
1-Jul
1-Aug
Coquitlam Dam Releases
1-May
Date
Treatment 2 - STP6 Target
1-Sep
1-Nov
1-Dec
Treatment 2 - STP6 Min
1-Oct
Figure 1 – Flows released below Coquitlam Dam under the Water Use Plan – Treatment 2 will commence
March 2007
Flow Release (cms)
Figure 2 – Questions associated with assessing the feasibility of restoring salmon above the Coquitlam Dam
(Coquitlam Salmon Restoration Project)
Figure 3 – Coquitlam Dam seismic upgrade project schematic (artistic rendition)
Figure 4 – Coquitlam Water Treatment Facilities
&IGUREn&LOWDIVERSIONDIAGRAMFORTHE4OWN#ENTREDEVELOPMENT,AFARGE,AKE(OY#REEKAND#OQUITLAM2IVER
http://www.coquitlam.ca/_Media+Centre/News+Releases/City+Government/Coquitlam+
River+Aggregate+Committee+Releases+First+Annual+Report.htm
(4) - Lafarge Lake Stormwater Detention
Lafarge Lake is a man-made urban lake that used to be a gravel pit. The lake was
donated by the Lafarge Cement Company to the City of Coquitlam in the 1970's. The
Lake is stocked with Rainbow trout annually. The lake provides great recreational
opportunities for residents and students of Douglas College.
In the Mid 1980's the City was in the process of planning development in what is now the
Coquitlam Town Center. The Town Center occupies part of the Coquitlam River flood
plain and is traversed by two major creeks Scott and Hoy. Both creeks were subject to
frequent flooding. Rather than using the then traditional solution of straightening and
widening the stream channels, the City opted to divert excess upland flow from the Hoy
Creek Watershed to the Coquitlam River via Lafarge Lake. The lake allowed attenuation
of flow to the Coquitlam River.
The diversion was sized to take peak runoff from the undeveloped water shed resulting
from a 100 year design storm. Diverted flow was estimated at 17 cubic meters per second
with peak out flow to the River of 10 cubic meters per second. A base flow of 2.8 cubic
meters per second is allowed through the Hoy Creek Diversion Structure to maintain
flows in Hoy Creek (see network schematic Figure 5).
Subsequent development of the upland Hoy Creek water shed required an additional
diversion pipe to carry runoff from the urbanization of the water shed to the Coquitlam
River.
(5) – Port Coquitlam Flooding and Dyking Issues
A report commissioned by BC Hydro during the WUP process highlighted sensitivities
with flooding of park areas associated with Coquitlam River instream flows exceeding
110 cms. Moreover, flood flows exceeding 340 cms could cause significant flooding to a
large portion of the City of Port Coquitlam. This flood risk has been exacerbated most
recently by channel infilling which has been occurring over the past 40 years to the point
that over 1m of material has been added to the channel, while dyking has not been
improved. Mitigating flooding for the City would include dyking improvements but
would have significant social costs, such as increased construction costs for floodplain
development, and decreased recreational areas. Therefore alternative options are being
prepared, such as increasing the pre-spill capability of Coquitlam Dam and decreasing the
channel roughness of the river and/or river dredging.
Notes:
WATER AND CITIES: ACTING ON THE VISION- A Ting Dialogue
Wednesday, June 14
WATER AND CITIES: ACTING ON THE VISION- A Ting Dialogue
Wednesday, June 14