B.C.’s Watershed Restoration Technical Bulletin
Feature
Melton, M.A. 1965. The geomorphic and paleoclimatic
significance of alluvial deposits in southern Arizona. J.
Geol. V. 73. pp1-38.
Oliver, C.D. and B.C. Larson. 1996. Forest Stand Dynamics. John
Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York. 520p.
Ritter, J. and 16 others. 1993. Quaternary evolution of Cedar Creek
alluvial fan, Montana. Geomorphology 8:287-304
Ritter. D.F., R.C. Kochel and J.R. Miller. 1995. Process
Geomorphology. Third edition. Wm. C. Brown Publishers.
Dubuque, IA, U.S.A. 546p.
Ryder, J.M. 1971a. The stratigraphy and morphology of paraglacial
alluvial fans in south-central British Columbia. Can. J.
Earth Sci. 8: 279-98
Ryder, J.M. 1971b. Some aspects of the morphometry of
paraglacial alluvial fans in south-central British Columbia.
Can. J. Earth Sci. 8: 1252-1264
Schweingruber, F.H. 1996. Tree Rings and Environment
Dendroecology. Paul Haupt Publishers. Berne. 609p.
Wells, S.G. and A.M. Harvey. 1987. Sedimentologic and
geomorphic variations in storm-generated alluvial fans,
Howgill Fells, northwest England. Geol. Soc. Amer.
Bulletin. v.98:182-198.
For further information, contact:
David Wilford or Matt Sakals
BC Ministry of Forests, Bag 5000,
Smithers, B.C., Canada, V0J 2N0.
email: dave.wilford@gems3.gov.bc.ca
email: matt.sakals@gems7.gov.bc.ca
John Innes
UBC Faculty of Forestry, 2424 Main Mall,
Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6T 1Z4.
email: innes@interchange.ubc.ca
Murder Creek: Instream Works to Improve
Fish Spawning and Rearing Habitat
Jason Paquette, Jessica Chaplin and Lisa Torunski
Introduction
Murder Creek is an S2 stream located approximately
35km northeast of Old Hazelton in the Kispiox Forest
District. It drains an area of 50 km2. Murder Creek
flows under the historic Kispiox Trail and through
private land to its confluence with the Kispiox River
(Figure 1). The Kispiox River is a migration corridor
for thousands of fish each year including sport, native
food fishery and commercial species. From 1980 to
1986, over 13,000 coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) fry
were released into Murder Creek by Fisheries and
Oceans Canada (FOC). Subsequent inventories list the
following species in Murder Creek: coho (O. kisutch),
and pink salmon (O. gorbuscha), cutthroat trout (O.
clarki), rainbow trout, steelhead (O. mykiss) and Dolly
Varden char (Salmo malma) (KWRP, 1995; KWRP,
1997).
Development impacts during the past 75 years have
included forestry in the upper watershed and agricultural
land clearing, road development, grazing and riparian
vegetation removal in the lower reaches and the
floodplain. Agricultural land use has confined the
stream to its current location. Murder Creek has been
identified as a high priority stream within the Skeena
Region WRP Resource Management Plan. For this
reason, restoration activities were carried out to
Streamline 8
Project Location
Figure 1. Location Map.
enhance the quality of existing fish habitat in Murder
Creek, reducing the impacts that have occurred as a
result of land use activities.
B.C.’s Watershed Restoration Technical Bulletin
Feature
Cr
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P8
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BC Environment (now the Ministry of Water, Land
and Air Protection) approved four prescriptions for
construction in 2001 (Figure 2). Permission for access
on private land was obtained from the landowner. An
Authorization for Works In and About a Stream was
obtained from Water Management Branch. A Fish
Collection Permit and Scientific Collection License
were obtained from Provincial and Federal government
agencies.
er
Background
In 1999, AMEC Earth and Environmental Ltd.
prescribed instream treatments for eight sites along the
lower two reaches of Murder Creek. Reach I was a
straight, uniform low gradient channel with fine
uniform substrates and a long continuous riffle habitat
(305 m). Reach II was described as a low gradient,
meandering stream section. Both reaches had low
functional LWD and limited potential for future LWD
recruitment into the stream. Since mature riparian
vegetation had been removed, bank erosion of the Sbends was significant. At bankful flows, side channels,
gravel bars, and shallow pools were prone to flooding.
rd
The project objectives were to:
• use tree revetments in four locations to reduce bank
erosion, create instream habitat complexity and to
slow the velocity of the stream around the meander
bend;
• use a log cluster diversion structure to reduce the
rate of lateral channel migration and streambank
erosion into the stream; and to
• remove an abandoned bridge, which contained
hazardous materials (creosote) and could become a
barrier to fish passage if it collapsed into Murder Creek.
Mu
Project Goals and Objectives
The goals of this project were to build instream
structures of LWD that would reduce streambank
erosion, create instream cover and increase habitat
complexity for fish.
Grazing
Pasture
Reach 2-2
P7
P6
Kisplox Trail
Drainage
Ditch
Hay Field
Hazelton
38 km
P2
Reach 1-1
Hay Field
Kisplox R.
Figure 2. Site Plan.
Sediment control measures: To minimize instream
disturbance, work sites were isolated from the main
stream flow using silt fabric and sandbags. Silt fabric
was used to isolate a portion of the channel (Figure 3).
Sandbags anchored the silt fabric and delivered flow
outside the isolation area. This effectively separated
the work area from the rest of the stream. Sandbags
were also used on the outside of the isolated area to
provide extra support to the silt fencing and to ensure
the main channel flow was directed away from the
McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. (MCSL) was
contracted as the construction supervisor for the instream prescriptions. The Kispiox Band Council was
contracted to provide the equipment, materials and
labour. Work was initiated in September 2001 and
took approximately nine days to complete.
Environmental protection
Fish salvage: Fry removal prior to construction was
done using a Coffelt backpack electroshocker and dip
netting. Stream sections were isolated using silt
fencing and sandbags. Over seventy-five fry (coho,
rainbow trout/steelhead) were removed from the
isolated sections of stream.
Figure 3. Isolation of stream sections using silt fencing and
sandbags.
Streamline 9
B.C.’s Watershed Restoration Technical Bulletin
Feature
isolated section. However, the sandbags themselves
did generate some sediment. It is recommended that
on future projects clean sources of silt and clay-free
sands are used to fill the sandbags. Two three-inch
pumps were used to pump dirty water from the
isolation areas and to minimize sediment in the stream.
Erosion control measures: Along the stream banks
and in the landowners hay fields straw was used to
cover all exposed soils and the disturbed areas were
seeded with fall rye to protect against surface soil
erosion into the stream.
Prescription P2 – At the top of the Kispiox River
floodplain, Murder Creek is forced to turn hard left.
Freshet floods caused increasing bank erosion and
downcutting of the stream. A typical tree revetment of
six logs, 20 m in length along the outside bend was
installed to reduce bank erosion, create instream
habitat complexity and to slow the velocity of the
stream around the bend.
Rehabilitation Work: Six revetment logs were added
to the right bank starting at the existing fence line
extending around the sharp eroding bank. A riprap
groin and large angular ballast rock was constructed
upstream of the revetments to prevent scour behind the
revetments and to protect them from erosion. A large
rock (>1 m diameter) was keyed in immediately
downstream of the last revetment near the fence to
protect the work from back eddy scour. Figures 4 and
5 show the site pre- and post-construction.
Prescription P6 - Upstream of the landowner’s pump
house a flood channel was forming, thus Murder
Creek could potentially bypass (via lateral channel
migration) the pump house. A log cluster diversion
structure was prescribed to absorb flood flows and
deflect them down the original channel. A pullback of
a 4 m vertical right bank for a distance of 2 m and a
lateral distance of approximately 10 m was proposed
to reduce bank erosion from over-steepened banks.
Construction was conducted without the pullback
being necessary and post-construction bank disturbance
was minimal.
Rehabilitation Work: A log cluster flow diversion
structure was installed using two revetment logs, four
footer logs, seven cluster logs and 16 large ballast
rocks. The log cluster was designed to slow the
stream velocity around the bend during higher flows
and to prevent the channel from shifting. It was
placed at the bottom of the eroding bank with footer
logs and large ballast rocks to provide bank stabilization.
Downstream of the log cluster two revetment logs with
the rootwads facing upstream were situated to direct
flows back into the existing channel. Large rocks
Figure 4. Site P2 pre-construction.
Figure 5. Site P2 post-construction.
were anchored and cabled using a Hilti rock drill, 316
steel grade cables and a Hilti HIT RE500 epoxy
system, securing the tree revetments and footer logs
(Figure 6).
Prescription P7 – An abandoned bridge, which was in
an advanced state of decay, was removed using an
excavator and hand labour with little disturbance to the
stream. The waste wood was stockpiled for future
burial away from the stream by the landowner.
Prescription P8 – Lateral channel migration was
occurring in a cleared area (length 50 m) caused by
livestock crossing and grazing on and about the
streambanks. Nineteen tree revetment logs with
rootwads, 15 footer logs, 40 ballast rocks (>1 m in
diameter), 350 feet of steel cable, and 17 Duckbill
anchors were used to construct tree revetments in three
locations to reduce the rate of lateral channel migration
Figure 6. Sketch showing revetment ballast.
Streamline 10
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B.C.’s Watershed Restoration Technical Bulletin
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...continued from page 10.
and to reduce streambank erosion into the stream
(Figure 7). In addition to the tree revetments, log clusters
were added to the stream to provide in-stream habitat.
Figure 9. Increasing complexity and cover at site P8.
Figure 7. Site P8 showing the length of the prescription site.
Rehabilitation Work: First, 20 m of streambank was
rehabilitated with eleven revetment trees. Trenches
were dug with the excavator for the 5 m long revetment
tree boles. Duckbill anchors were used to anchor the
ends of the revetment logs. The rootwads faced into
the stream and were spaced approximately 3 m apart
so that each rootwad overlapped the next by approximately
0.5 m (Figure 8). Footer logs were lashed to the
revetment trees with the footer logs alternating over or
under the boles. Large boulders were cabled on either
side of each revetment tree for ballast and the trench
was re-filled. Fall rye was hand-seeded over the
disturbed area and loose hay was spread over the
disturbed area to reduce streambank erosion.
Further downstream, 12 m of streambank was
rehabilitated using the same tree revetment process
described above. In addition, two trees 15 m long,
with branches and rootwads intact and lashed together
were placed parallel to the bank to support an undercut
bank. At the upstream end, at 1/3 the length and at 2/3
the length, two large boulders were cabled to the trees
as anchors (Figure 9).
Figure 8. Revetments installed at Site P8.
At a large scour pool (depth 0.9 m) downstream of the
cleared area, Murder Creek turns a hard left. At this
location, 15 m of bank was stabilized using one tree
revetment and three logs anchored parallel to the bank.
Construction was conducted in such a way as to minimize
the disturbance to the pool while adding LWD and
increasing habitat complexity.
Riparian Zone Protection and Re-vegetation
The landowner installed riparian fencing prescribed by
OIKOS Ecological Services (OIKOS, 2000) along
both sides of the stream for the protection of the riparian
zone and new instream works. Willow staking and
conifer planting is to be completed in a separate contract
in the spring of 2002.
Summary and Conclusions
Through the stream enhancement efforts described
above, these two reaches of Murder Creek are now more
complex and stable during flood flows. A key element
in the long-term recovery of Murder Creek is the reestablishment of a functional riparian corridor. This
project has completed the channel and bank stabilization
and fencing. In time, after the riparian area planting is
complete, riparian function will be restored.
Project Proponent and Cost Summary
The project was carried out under the Forest Renewal
BC Watershed Restoration Program, directed jointly
between Ministry of Forests and Ministry of Water,
Land and Air Protection. The total cost of the project
was estimated at $65,000.
Acknowledgements
The works could not have been completed without the
co-operation from the Allen family. Special thanks to
Patrick Hudson, Jeff Lough and Troy Larden for their
hard work and technical assistance at the site. Grateful
thanks are also due to Al Harrison of the Kispiox District.
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B.C.’s Watershed Restoration Technical Bulletin
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References
AMEC, 2000. Murder Creek Watershed Restoration Prescription.
Submitted to Kispiox Band Council, Kispiox, British
Columbia. Submitted by AMEC Earth & Environmental
Limited, Prince George, BC (KS00120).
KWRP, 1995. Overview Fish and Fish Habitat Assessment Report
for the Kispiox River Watershed. Prepared for the Ministry
of Environment, Lands and Parks, Skeena Region.
KWRP, 1997. Level 1 Fish and Fish Habitat Assessment of the
Kispiox River Watershed. Prepared for the Ministry of
Environment, Lands and Parks, Skeena Region.
OIKOS Ecological Services Inc. March 2000. Riparian
Rehabilitation Prescriptions for the Lower Reaches of
Murder Creek (the Allen Farm) Kispiox Watershed.
Prepared for Jeff Lough, MELP, Skeena Region, Smithers,
BC.
For more information contact:
Jason Paquette, Design Technician
Jessica Chaplin, R.P.Bio.
Lisa Torunski, R.P.Bio.
McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd.
3578 Victoria Drive Smithers B.C. V0J 2N0
or P.O. Box 787 Smithers B.C. V0J 2N0
Tel: 250-847-4040 Fax: 250-847-4160
jpaquette@mcelhanney.com
jchaplin@mcelhanney.com
ltorunski@mcelhanney.com
Riparian Restoration at the Narrowlake
Creek Demonstration Watershed
Andrew Wilson, Beryl Nesbit and Ray Pillipow
Introduction
The Narrowlake Creek restoration project represents
one of the Province’s five Demonstration Watersheds.
Narrowlake Creek is located 80 km southeast of Prince
George and is a tributary to the Willow River. Since
1997, instream restoration has been completed over
approximately four kilometres of mainstem channel to
provide a demonstration of watershed restoration in the
central interior. Riparian restoration has also been
undertaken in the drainage.
Riparian restoration was initiated at Narrowlake Creek
in the spring of 1999 to address issues relating to
future channel stability, fisheries and wildlife concerns
which resulted from pre-Forest Practices Code
streamside forest harvesting. The project was
evaluated in 2001 to determine the short-term success
or failure of the restoration work and to identify
requirements for any remedial work.
Riparian restoration is becoming an increasingly
topical and important component of watershed
restoration (Naiman et al. 2000, Poulin et al. 2000).
Choosing appropriate, cost-effective restoration
techniques to best meet multi-resource objectives can
be a challenging task. In many areas, especially along
the coast where growing seasons are long and conifer
regeneration rapid, the most effective restoration
prescriptions may involve thinning or spacing
Streamline 12
deciduous dominated, mixed, or overstocked conifer
stands to facilitate the release of already established
conifers (e.g. Poulin and Simmons 2001). However
other areas such as the central interior, where growing
seasons are short and conifer regeneration slow, may
require alternative techniques.
An alternative riparian restoration technique for use
where variable density thinning is not viable is the
direct planting of conifers. This technique is
appropriate for those areas where conifers have not
become adequately established (Koning 1999). While
this technique has merit, often conifers have not
become established for good reasons (e.g. excessive
shrub competition, inhospitable site conditions or
elevated water tables). Poulin et al. (2000) note that
direct planting of conifers is an expensive and higher
risk restoration treatment compared with thinning or
brushing. However, in the Narrowlake Creek riparian
restoration project, there was little alternative due to
the paucity of conifers that had re-established along
the floodplain following extensive streamside logging.
To overcome some of the difficulties associated with
direct planting of conifers at Narrowlake Creek,
several different planting trials were undertaken in an
attempt to identify the most effective means of
addressing long-term riparian restoration objectives in