West Fraser Mills Ltd.

Quesnel Division

P.O. Box 6000, Quesnel, B.C.

V2J 3J5

Ryan Sherman and Marc Donato

of

Bldg. 4 - 203 Harbour Road

Victoria, B.C.

V9A 3S2

April 1998

At the request of West Fraser Mills Ltd - Quesnel Division and in conjunction with the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (MELP), Cariboo Region, Williams Lake, Carmanah Research Ltd. conducted a Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection (FPCI) of Sovereign, Victoria and Reddish creeks are all sub-basins of the Cottonwood River. The FPCI is a process which attempts to identify culverted road crossings that may be barriers to fish passage.

The procedures used during this survey followed those outlined in the Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection Completion Procedures; Draft 2A (April 1997), prepared by MELP, Cariboo Region. Initial site locations were determined by selecting road crossings from the FHAP Overview Report of the Cottonwood River, prepared by Carmanah Research Ltd.

The Cottonwood River watershed comprises a study area of 247,363ha, and is located in the Central Interior of British Columbia. Three sub-basins within the watershed were included in the initial FPCI assessment. In order of confluence with the mainstem upstream from the mouth, the sub-basins are Sovereign Creek, Victoria Creek and Reddish Creek.

The primary goal of the FPCI assessment was to identify culverts on fish bearing streams that are barriers to fish migration, and to suggest prescriptions to reopen these streams to fish. By removing these barriers, instantaneous and inexpensive increases in fish habitat may be attained. During the FPCI of the Cottonwood watershed, 27 sites were assessed and then divided into high, moderate and low priority categories for rehabilitation. Priorities for rehabilitation were based on the presence of a barrier and the potential for the culvert to become a barrier (ex. beaver activity upstream of the culvert). There were 20 high priority sites, 5 moderate priority sites and 2 low priority sites. Included with the descriptions of each site are remediation prescriptions and the length of stream habitat that can be gained by removing the barrier.

The Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Cariboo Region, Williams Lake contracted the 1997 Fish Passage - Culvert Inspection of the Nazko River watershed to Carmanah Research Ltd., with funding provided by Forest Renewal BC. Support and monitoring was provided by Watershed Restoration Program Specialist Micheal Parker (MELP). M. Donato provided invaluable field support. Report preparation could not have been accomplished without the enthusiastic hard work of S. Luzzi. R. Pedersen gathered study area information. A. Dewey produced the maps for this report.

Report quality was assured by K. Brydges, H. Liebe-McGinnis and T. Davies.

APPENDIX II Raw Data: Fish Passage - Culvert Inspection Forms

APPENDIX III Photodocumentation

In 1997 West Fraser Mills Ltd., Quesnel Division, in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (MELP), Cariboo Region, initiated a Watershed Restoration Program (WRP) for the Cottonwood River watershed. This program was funded by Forest Renewal British Columbia (FRBC). As an initial step in this process, a Fish Habitat Assessment Procedure (FHAP) was conducted by Carmanah Research Ltd., 1997. From this report, recommendations were made to conduct more detailed surveys within specific areas of the watershed.

One of the findings of the overview was that many culvert stream crossings were possible barriers to fish migration, limiting the use of fish habitat upstream. The overview report (Carmanah Research Ltd., 1997) recommended that the culverts within the watershed be assessed in the field to determine if they are sediment sources and/or barriers to fish. The purpose of the Fish Passage - Culvert Inspection (FPCI) was to identify culverts on potential fish-bearing streams that are barriers to fish migration and to suggest prescriptions to regain access to these streams for fish. By removing these barriers relatively instantaneous and inexpensive increases in fish habitat may be attained.

The Cottonwood River watershed is located in the Central Interior of British Columbia (Figure 1). The drainage basin has an area of 247 363ha, and the Cottonwood River mainstem is 151km in length (this distance includes the Swift River and McMartin Creek as part of the total). Three sub-basins within the watershed were included in the assessment. In order of confluence with the mainstem upstream from the mouth, the sub-basins are Sovereign Creek, Victoria Creek and Reddish Creek.

Figure 1. Cottonwood Watershed Culvert Assessment Procedure Area

The Cottonwood River watershed lies within the physiographic region of the Fraser Plateau and Basin. The topography of this area is that of a drumlinized till plain dissected by deep valleys. The basin itself is an area of low relief. The bedrock geology of this watershed is mainly that of unconsolidated glacial materials with some metasedimentary formations in the eastern portion of the watershed. Fluvial deposits dominate the mainstem of the Cottonwood. These sediments are underlain by gently dipping lava flows of the Miocene or Pliocene age. Sedimentary rocks occur as outcrops along the mainstem of the Cottonwood river to its confluence with the Fraser while the upper reaches are occupied by rocks of volcanic origin (Lord and Mackintosh, 1982).

The climate of the study area is relatively dry. This is due to the combination of low precipitation and high frequency of clear skies. Average annual temperature is approximately 1.4° C, with average summer highs in July-August of 12.3° C and January winter lows averaging –9.8° C. Average annual precipitation is approximately 1149mm, with an estimated 60% being winter precipitation (Lord and Mackintosh, 1982).

Two biogeoclimatic zones dominate the study area. These zones are the Sub-Boreal Spruce Zone (SBS) and the Englemann Spruce-Subalpine Fir Zone (ESSF). The SBS Zone was found in the low- to mid-elevation portions of the study area. It has a continental climate characterized by warm, moist summers with a moderate growing season and cool winters (Meidinger and Pojar, 1991). Mature forest containing white spruce, lodgepole pine and Douglas fir covers much of the SBS landscape. The ESSF Zone occupies the middle to upper elevations of the Cottonwood River watershed. As it borders on the lower elevation SBS Zone, it has a similar but cooler climate. A distinctive feature of the ESSF landscape is the extensive maturing forests of subalpine fir mixed with subalpine meadows. There is a small portion of Alpine Tundra Zone in the high elevations along the eastern boundary of the Cottonwood River watershed.

The Water Survey Board of Canada operates four gauging stations in the watershed for measuring seasonal changes in water flow. These are the Swift River gauging station 08KE003, the Cinema gauging station 08KE009, the Wingdam gauging station 08KE004 and the Little Swift gauging station 08KE024. Mean annual flow for the watershed is 26.0m³/s (Rowland and McDonald, 1996). Average maximum flow takes place during April/May with flows measured at 234.0m³/s. Average minimum or low water flow periods occur during December through March. Summertime and wintertime 7-day low water flows are 4.15m³/s in September and 4.15m³/s in December to January respectively.

Low summer flows can affect fish habitat by increasing water temperatures, stranding juveniles and reducing rearing habitat, while low winter flows can dewater redds, which harms incubating eggs by increasing the possibility of freezing (Rood and Hamilton, 1995).

The Cottonwood River watershed provides migration, spawning, incubation and rearing habitat for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), coho (O. kisutch), pink (O. gorbuscha) and chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) (Fish Information Stream Summary (FISS, 1994) maps. Chinook salmon are present in the lower reaches of the Swift and Little Swift rivers, Lightning, Reddish, Sovereign and Victoria creeks (Imhof and Sutherland, 1996). Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and Dolly Varden (S. malma) are distributed throughout the Swift and Little Swift rivers and Lightning Creek (FISS, 1994). Mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) have also been found in the Swift River and Victoria Creek. The distribution of salmon and game fish, or target fish, is described by sub-basin in Section 4 and in the appendices. The main commercial anadromous species in this watershed is chinook salmon, while pink and coho are found in the system in odd years (Fish Habitat Inventory and Information Program, 1990).

Forestry and mining are the primary economic endeavours in the Cottonwood River watershed. The watershed lies within the boundaries of the Quesnel and Prince George forest districts. Forest harvesting has occurred in all sub-basins. The major operating timber licensees in the watershed are West Fraser Mills Ltd., Weldwood of Canada Ltd. and Dunkley Forest Products. The provincial Small Business Forest Enterprise Program also operates in the watershed. Placer and hydraulic mining have been on-going since 1860 and have been identified as having an extensive and significant impact on the stream systems in the Cottonwood River watershed (AIM Ecological Consultants, 1996; Rowland and McDonald, 1996).

The procedures used during this survey were consistent with the procedures outlined in the Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection Draft 2A (April 1997), prepared by MELP, Cariboo Region. The water velocities through the culverts were measured using the floating object method (Johnston and Slaney, 1996), rather than with a flow meter. A flow meter was not used because in the majority of cases, the water in the culverts was too shallow to allow for its proper use.

Initial site locations were determined by selecting road crossings from the maps in the Cottonwood River FHAP Overview (Carmanah Research Ltd., 1997). Culverts that were recommended for further assessment in the overview were also included in the initial site selection process. Upon site inspection, it was found that many of the sites initially chosen were either bridges or fords. In order to reduce the time and cost involved in assessing culverts, sites were only visited that crossed salmonid bearing or suspected salmonid bearing habitat using a 1:50 000 scale map from the Cottonwood River FHAP Overview.

A summary of the Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection of the Cottonwood watershed can be seen in Table 1. The data were collected between October 19, 1997 and October 22, 1997. All sites that were visited had a record of salmonids being present. It was determined that there were 19 full barrier sites and 3 sites were considered partial barriers. Partial barriers are obstructions that may impede certain fish species or size classes.

Site 11 was not accessible by four-wheel drive and therefore it was not assessed. There were eight sites (15, 16, 23, 24, 36, 38, 39, 40) which were inspected and found to be bridges that did not present barriers to fish passage. There were also three sites found to be fords (13, 14 and 37). Site 12 was visited and was not a barrier so was not assessed.

Table 1. Summary of Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection performed in the Cottonwood watershed from October 19, 1997 to October 22, 1997. Barrier types include full (F), partial (P), undetermined (U) and none (N).

* - Interim Locational Points (ILP's) used by Carmanah Research Ltd. in the 1996 Fish and Fish Habitat Inventories of the Cottonwood watershed.

The Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection (FPCI) Forms completed in the field for each site can be found in Appendix I.

A complete list of fish species abbreviations can be found in Fish Habitat Assessment Procedures, Watershed Restoration Technical Circular No. 8, April 1996, Appendix D.

After the culvert inspection in the Cottonwood River watershed, the priority level for rehabilitation was divided into three categories: high, moderate and low. Priority levels were based on the presence or absence of a barrier to juvenile salmonids, or the potential for a culvert to become a barrier. All of the sites were in reaches that were known to sustain fish populations. The length of habitat to be gained upstream of the barrier is important to consider in assessing the priority level for a site. The site descriptions for each barrier include the length of stream above the culvert, but it is also important to consider the quality of habitat upstream of a crossing, which was beyond the scope of the FPCI.

The design and choice of a suitable structure for all crossings where the bankfull width was greater than 2.0m has been left undetermined. This is a decision that should be made by an engineer or other qualified person based on the technical and economic feasibility, as well as other environmental objectives (Poulin and Argent 1997). Some of the options available in such cases include bridges, bottomless culverts, log culverts, embedded pipe arch or round culverts, non-embedded culverts and baffled culverts. It should also be noted that none of the culverts that were assessed conformed to the minimum culvert width standards set for culverts by the Forest Practices Code in the Stream Crossing Guidebook for Fish Streams, A Working Draft for 1997/1998 (Poulin and Argent 1997).

For this report, the evaluation of a culvert was limited to an assessment of culvert water velocity, incline, length and drop, as specified in section 4.1 of the Fish Passage Culvert Inspection Completion Procedures Draft 2A April 1997 (MELP - Cariboo Region). The potential for a culvert to be a barrier to fish passage was based on the values for juvenile salmonids, as juvenile passage is said to be crucial in most systems (MELP, 1997). In determining whether culvert velocity or culvert drop was a barrier to fish, tables 1 and 2 of the Fish Passage Culvert Inspection Completion Procedures Draft 2A April 1997 (MELP Cariboo Region) were used. When determining if incline was a barrier to fish, reference was made to Fish Passage Culvert Inspection Completion Procedures Draft 2A, April 1997 (MELP Cariboo Region) which states that for a culvert less than 24m long with no baffles the incline should not exceed 1%, and for a culvert more than 24m long, the incline should not exceed 0.5%. Due to the inaccuracies involved in this measurement while in the field, values of 1.5% and 1% or greater were used, respectively. None of the culverts sampled in the Cottonwood River watershed had baffles. Culvert length was only considered a factor in determining if incline and velocity were the cause of a barrier.

Fish sampling was done at all of the assessed sites to verify presence or absence, as most sections of stream in the Cottonwood River watershed are potentially fish bearing by gradient. At sites where fish were not found, it is important to sample for fish at other times of the year using various methods before fish absence is confirmed. Sediment input throughout the study area was minimal, however a note was made at sites where sediment was observed.

There were 20 high priority sites classified as culverts that were full barriers to fish passage.

This site was located on a branch of 13F Road in reach 3 of a tributary to Sovereign Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 3.2m and a bankfull width of 3.2m. The water and bankfull depths were 25cm and 40cm respectively. The stream gradient was 5.5% and the water velocity was 0.53m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 20.4m and a diameter of 150cm. The slope of the culvert was 4%, the culvert water velocity was 1.9m/s and the water depth was 10cm. The culvert drop was 50cm into a 90cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most species, especially juveniles, and the culvert velocity presented a barrier to most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 2.1km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #1(inlet u/s), #2(inlet d/s), #3(outlet u/s), and #4(outlet d/s).

This site was located on a branch of 13F Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Sovereign Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.6m and a bankfull width of 1.8m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 45cm respectively. The stream gradient was 5.8% and the water velocity was 0.41m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 17.7m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 7.5%, the culvert water velocity was 2.03m/s and the water depth was 15cm. The culvert drop was 25cm into a 90cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most juvenile fish species and the culvert velocity presented a barrier to most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.4km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #5(inlet u/s), #6(inlet d/s), #7(outlet u/s), and #8(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 1300 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Sovereign Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.9m and a bankfull width of 2.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 25cm and 60cm respectively. The stream gradient was 4.5% and the water velocity was 0.49m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was an elliptical corrugated steel culvert at this site. This was due to the once round culvert being slightly collapsed during the installation. This creek had a second culvert installed that was round. The majority of flows went through the culvert on the east side. Both of these culverts had a length of 11.3m and a width of 180cm. The slope of both culverts was 5%, the maximum culvert water velocity of either culvert at the time was 1.06m/s and the water depth was 10cm in both. The culvert drop consisted of a 30cm drop and a cascade 80cm in height, all flowing into a 30cm deep pool. This culvert drop along with the cascade was a barrier for most fish species, especially juveniles, and the culvert velocity presented a barrier to juveniles of most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream and also clear the boulders within the streambed. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.75km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #11(inlet u/s), #12(inlet d/s), #9(outlet u/s), and #10(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 1300 Road in reach 7 of Sovereign Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 4.6m and a bankfull width of 4.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 35cm and 60cm respectively. The stream gradient was 4.5% and the water velocity was 0.93m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S2.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 17.3m and a diameter of 250cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 1.5m/s and the water depth was 20cm. The culvert drop was 25cm into a 100cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for juveniles of most fish species, and the culvert velocity presented a barrier to most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 7.3km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #15(inlet u/s), #16(inlet d/s), #13(outlet u/s), and #14(outlet d/s).

This site was located on the 1300 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Sovereign Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.7m and a bankfull width of 2.0m. The water and bankfull depths were 15cm and 35cm respectively. The stream gradient was 6.8% and the water velocity was 0.78m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. There was active logging occurring u/s from the culvert and there has been a large amount of LWD deposited across the stream. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 18.2m and a diameter of 80cm. The slope of the culvert was 4.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.57m/s and the water depth was 5cm. The culvert drop was 145cm into a 50cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most fish species and the culvert water velocity presented a barrier to most juvenile fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.45km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #19(inlet u/s), #20(inlet d/s), #17(outlet u/s), and #18(outlet d/s).

This site was located on the 1300 Road in reach 4 of a tributary to Sovereign Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.9m and a bankfull width of 1.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 40cm respectively. The stream gradient was 8% and the water velocity was 0.67m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 11.1m and a diameter of 180cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was 0.45m/s and the water depth was 15cm. The culvert drop was 45cm into a 55cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.15 km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #23(inlet u/s), #24(inlet d/s), #21(outlet u/s), and #22(outlet d/s).

This site was located on a branch of 13C Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Eskridge Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.3m and a bankfull width of 2.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 15cm and 35cm respectively. The stream gradient was 5.8% and the water velocity was 0.6m/s. There was low sediment input, and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout up to the d/s end of the culvert but there was no record of rainbow trout above the culvert. This reach was classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 17m and a diameter of 80cm. This culvert was broken on the u/s end. The slope of the culvert was 5%, the culvert water velocity was unable to be taken due to the location of the deep pool at the outfall and general inaccessibility of the culvert, and the water depth was 10cm. The culvert drop was 90cm into a 140cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most species and the culvert slope contributed to a high culvert water velocity that also presented a barrier to most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream or remove the culvert and deactivate the road. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.0km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #25(inlet u/s), #26(inlet d/s), #27(outlet u/s), and #28(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 1300 Road in reach 1 of Eskridge Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 6.3m and a bankfull width of 6.6m. The water and bankfull depths were 75cm and 85cm respectively. The stream gradient was 4.8% and the water velocity was 0.69m/s. There was low sediment input and two beaver dams u/s of the culvert. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 17.3m and a diameter of 210cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.98m/s and the water depth was 20cm. The culvert drop was 60cm into a 70cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most species, especially juveniles, and the culvert velocity presented a barrier to most juvenile fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 6.4km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #31(inlet u/s), #32(inlet d/s), #29(outlet u/s), and #30(outlet d/s).

This site was located on a branch of 13A Road in reach 2 of a tributary to Sovereign Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 0.8m and a bankfull width of 1.0m. The water and bankfull depths were 15cm and 35cm respectively. The stream gradient was 11% and the water velocity was 0.43m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 24.7m and a diameter of 90cm. The slope of the culvert was 4%, the culvert water velocity was 0.62m/s and the water depth was 5cm. The culvert drop was 85cm into a 50cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most species, especially juveniles. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 2.0km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll4, #20(inlet u/s), #21(inlet d/s), #22(outlet u/s), and #23(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 4900 Road in reach 3 of a tributary to Chiaz Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 30m and a bankfull width of 30m. The water and bankfull depths were 115cm and 120cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% and the water velocity was 2.25m/s. There was low sediment input, and there was beaver activity u/s of the culvert in the form of a dam and cuttings. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 20m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was <5%, the culvert water velocity was not measured due to a dam in the middle of the culvert and the outflow water depth was 30cm. There was no culvert drop. This beaver dam in the culvert was a barrier for most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.5km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll1, #1(inlet u/s), #2(inlet d/s), #4(outlet u/s), and #3(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 4900 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Chiaz Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 15m and a bankfull width of 15m. The water and bankfull depths were 195cm and 195cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1.3% and the water velocity was negligible. There was low sediment input. Beaver activity consisted of dams on the upstream and downstream sides and the culvert had been dammed inside as well. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 24m and a diameter of 125cm. The slope of the culvert and water velocity was unknown because of the dam; the water depth was 120cm. There was no culvert drop. This dam was a barrier for most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.3km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll4, #1(inlet u/s), #2(inlet d/s), #3(outlet u/s), and #4(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 4900 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Chiaz Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.5m and a bankfull width of 1.8m. The water and bankfull depths were 15cm and 35cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2% and the water velocity was 0.34m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 27.1m and a diameter of 125cm. The slope of the culvert was 3%, the culvert water velocity was 1.07m/s and the water depth was 10cm. The culvert drop was 15cm into a 40cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most juvenile fish species and the culvert velocity presented a barrier to most fish species, especially juveniles. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.3km of habitat with a lake located at the upper end. The photos for this site are Roll4, #5(inlet u/s), #6(inlet d/s), #7(outlet u/s), and #8(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 3600 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Victoria Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 0.8m and a bankfull width of 0.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 10cm and 25cm respectively. The stream gradient was 17% and the water velocity was 0.88m/s. The gradient from the culvert to 100m u/s was 22%. Above this point the gradient was approx. 5%. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supports chinook salmon and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 14.2m and a diameter of 60cm. The slope of the culvert was 4.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.47m/s and the water depth was 5cm. The culvert drop was 65cm into a 30cm pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most fish species, especially juveniles. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.7km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll4, #16(inlet u/s), #17(inlet d/s), #18(outlet u/s), and #19(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 13N10 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.1m and a bankfull width of 2.3m. The water and bankfull depths were 25cm and 40cm respectively. The stream gradient was 4.5% and the water velocity was 0.6m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.4m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 4.5%, the culvert water velocity was 1.87m/s and the water depth was 30cm. There was no culvert drop but the inlet of the culvert was blocked by a 40cm high log jam. This resulted in a barrier for most fish species and the culvert velocity presented a barrier to most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 2.0km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll1, #11(inlet u/s), #12(inlet d/s), #13(outlet u/s), and #14(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 13N Road in reach 4 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 4.0m and a bankfull width of 5.3m. The water and bankfull depths were 55cm and 65cm respectively. The stream gradient was 3% and the water velocity was 0.29m/s. There was low sediment input. There were some beaver dams including one in the middle of the culvert. This had caused a large pool, which filled the north ditch, and there had been an installation of another culvert (100m east of this culvert) which had also been dammed by beavers. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 20.4m and a diameter of 150cm. The slope of the culvert was 4%, the culvert water velocity was 1.9m/s and the water depth was 10cm. The culvert drop was 50cm into a 90cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most species, especially juveniles, and the culvert velocity presented a barrier to most fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 2.1km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #1(inlet u/s), #2(inlet d/s), #3(outlet u/s), and #4(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 1300 Road in reach 2 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 0.9m and a bankfull width of 1.1m. The water and bankfull depths were 30cm and 40cm respectively. The stream gradient was 4% and the water velocity was 0.155m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout up to the culvert and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 23.8m and a diameter of 65cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.65m/s and the water depth was 5cm. The culvert drop was 65cm into a 80cm deep pool. This culvert drop was a barrier for most species, especially juveniles, and the culvert velocity was perhaps a partial barrier for some juvenile fish. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.6km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll2, #9(inlet u/s), #10(inlet d/s), #7(outlet u/s), and #8(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 13K Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.9m and a bankfull width of 7.1m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 40cm respectively. The stream gradient was 6% and the water velocity was 0.81m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 33.3m and a diameter of 180cm. The slope of the culvert was 3%, the culvert water velocity was 1.81m/s and the water depth was 15cm. The culvert drop was 60cm into an 80cm deep pool. The culvert velocity and the culvert drop were barriers for juvenile fish and most adult fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.6km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll2, #13(inlet u/s), #14(inlet d/s), #11(outlet u/s), and #12(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 1300 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.2m and a bankfull width of 1.2m. The water and bankfull depths were 40cm and 55cm respectively. The stream gradient was 3% and the water velocity was 0.65m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 19.8m and a diameter of 95cm. The slope of the culvert was 3%, the culvert water velocity was 1.47m/s and the water depth was 15cm. The culvert drop was 60cm into a 120cm deep pool. The culvert velocity and the culvert drop were barriers to juvenile fish and most adult fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.7km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll2, #17(inlet u/s), #18(inlet d/s), #15(outlet u/s), and #16(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 1300 Road in reach 3 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 0.05m and a bankfull width of 0.2m. The water and bankfull depths were each 5cm. The stream gradient was 7% and the water velocity was 0m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 13.5m and a diameter of 55cm. The slope of the culvert was 5%, the culvert water had no measurable flow, and the water depth was 2cm. The culvert drop was 65cm onto rocks (there was no pool). If flows were sufficient to sustain fish, the culvert drop would be a barrier. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.2km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll2, #21(inlet d/s), #19(outlet u/s), and #20(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 1300 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had wetted and bankfull widths of 1.0m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 40cm respectively. The stream gradient was 5.3% and the water velocity was 0.82m/s. There was low sediment input, and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 14.0m and a diameter of 80cm. The slope of the culvert was 4%, the culvert water velocity was 1.8m/s and the water depth was 10cm. The culvert drop was 20cm into an 80cm deep pool. The culvert velocity and the culvert drop were barriers to juvenile fish as well as most adult fish species. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.55km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll2, #24(inlet d/s), #22(outlet u/s), and #23(outlet d/s).

There were five moderate priority level sites in which the present culverts were partial barriers to fish passage.

This site was located off 13D Road in reach 2 of Atis Creek, a tributary to Sovereign Creek. The stream had wetted and bankfull widths of 13m. The water and bankfull depths were 95cm and 100cm respectively. The stream gradient was 5% and the water velocity was 0.84m/s. There was low sediment input, and a beaver dam 1m upstream of the culvert inlet. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S2.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 13.5m and a diameter of 220cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 1.22m/s and the water depth was 25cm. The culvert drop was 20cm into a 200cm deep pool. The culvert velocity and the culvert drop were barriers for juvenile fish and some adult fish species, and the beaver dam may have created a barrier for juveniles. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 6.0km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll3, #33(inlet u/s), #34(inlet d/s), #35(outlet u/s), and #36(outlet d/s).

This site was located off 300 Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Victoria Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.0m and a bankfull width of 2.1m. The water and bankfull depths were 15cm and 35cm respectively. The stream gradient was 7% and the water velocity was 0.41m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.4m and a diameter of 95cm. The slope of the culvert was 4%, the culvert water velocity was 1.21m/s and the water depth was 10cm. The culvert drop was 0cm into a 70cm deep pool. The culvert velocity may be a barrier to some fish species and age classes at moderate or high flows, but may be passable at low flows. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.1km of stream habitat with a lake at the end. The photos for this site are Roll4, #9(inlet u/s), #10&11(inlet d/s), #12(outlet u/s), and #13(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 13N Road in reach 4 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.3m and a bankfull width of 3.0m. The water and bankfull depths were 25cm and 35cm respectively. The stream gradient was 3% and the water velocity was 0.21m/s. There was low sediment input, and a beaver dam upstream of the culvert with cuttings nearby. Upstream of the culvert, the creek runs alongside the road in a ditch where the water enters a standing pool, approximately 15m wide and 25m long. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S4.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 10.1m and a diameter of 60cm. The slope of the culvert was 4%, the culvert water velocity was 0.71m/s and the water depth was 5cm. The culvert drop was 30cm into a 65cm deep pool. The culvert drop may present a barrier to juvenile fish. The culvert was also partially plugged with woody debris. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.1km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll1, #20(inlet u/s), #19(inlet d/s), #17(outlet u/s), and #18(outlet d/s).

This site was located on 13N Road in reach 1 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 0.8m and a bankfull width of 1.0m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 35cm respectively. The stream gradient was 22% and the water velocity was 0.1m/s. There was very low sediment input and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S4.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 15.4m and a diameter of 60cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.7m/s and the water depth was 5cm. The culvert drop was 15cm into a 45cm deep pool. The culvert was bent in the middle, but this was not creating a barrier. The culvert velocity and the culvert drop may be barriers to some juvenile fish at certain times of the year. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.77km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll2, #1(inlet u/s), #2(inlet d/s), #3(outlet u/s), and #4(outlet d/s).

This site was located off 13N Road in reach 4 of a tributary to Reddish Creek. This culvert was on the same stream as those at sites 27 and 28. The stream had a wetted width of 1.5m and a bankfull width of 1.7m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 35cm respectively. The stream gradient was 3% and the water velocity was 0.3m/s. There was low sediment input, and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S4.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.3m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.72m/s and the water depth was 10cm. The culvert drop was 10cm into a 65cm deep pool. The culvert velocity and the culvert drop may be barriers to some juvenile fish at certain times of the year. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 0.53km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll2, #5(inlet d/s), and #6(outlet u/s).

The low priority sites were classified as culverts presenting no barrier to fish passage, or presenting partial barriers, where the barrier was minimal or possibly seasonal.

This site was located off 300 Road in reach 5 of a tributary to Victoria Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.8m and a bankfull width of 2.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 25cm and 45cm respectively. The stream gradient was 4% and the water velocity was 0.44m/s. There was low sediment input, and no beaver activity. Records show that this reach supported rainbow trout and was therefore classified as S3.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 9.3m and a diameter of 90cm. The slope of the culvert was 4%, the culvert water velocity was 0.76m/s and the water depth was 10cm. The culvert drop was 0cm into a 90cm deep pool. The upstream end of the culvert was coming apart which may interfere with fish passage, and the culvert water velocity may impede juvenile fish. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 1.8km of habitat. The photos for this site are Roll4, #14(inlet d/s) and #15(outlet u/s).

This site was located on 13N Road in reach 3 of Reddish Creek. The stream had wetted and bankfull widths of 4.5m. The water and bankfull depths were 70cm and 105cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1.8% and the water velocity was 0.35m/s. There was very low sediment input, and signs of beaver activity as cuttings. Records show that this reach supports rainbow trout, longnose sucker and lake chub, and was therefore classified as S1.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 8.5m and a diameter of 125cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.68m/s and the water depth was 30cm. The culvert drop was 20cm into a 120cm deep pool. In addition, what appeared to be an overflow culvert was positioned 10m to the north. The culvert water velocity may impede juvenile fish at certain times of the year. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. By removing this barrier fish will have access to a potential 5.2km. The photos for this site are Roll1, #6(inlet u/s), #5(inlet d/s), #7(outlet u/s), and #8(outlet d/s).

This site was located off 13N Road in reach 3 of Reddish Creek. This culvert was the overflow culvert mentioned in the description for site 25, and was 10m north of that site. There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 10.5m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.8%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the water depth was 0cm. The culvert drop was 20cm into a 120cm deep pool. No remediation is recommended for this site, as fish passage was possible through the primary culvert (RC01). The photos for this site are Roll1, #9(inlet d/s), and #10(outlet u/s).

A summary of the recommended remediation prescriptions for each of the culvert crossings inspected during the FPCI of the Cottonwood River watershed is presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Summary of the recommended remediation prescriptions for each culvert crossing inspected in the Cottonwood watershed.

Table 2. continued

AIM Ecological Consultants. 1996. Cottonwood River Watershed Riparian Wetland and Terrestrial Assessment. Prepared for the Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks, Williams Lake, BC. 74pp plus appendices.

Carmanah Research Ltd. Thorburn, G. and R.V. Pedersen. 1997. Draft Overview Report Fish Habitat Assessment Procedure of the Cottonwood River Watershed. Prepared for West Fraser Mills Ltd., Quesnel, BC.

Fish Habitat Inventory and Information Program. 1990. Stream Summary Catalogue. Sub-district 29H Quesnel. Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Vancouver, BC.

Imhof D. and D.R. Sutherland. 1996. Fish Habitat Inventory of the Swift River Watershed 1995. Prepared for British Columbia Environment Fisheries Branch. Prepared by British Columbia Conservation Foundation, Prince George, BC. Fisheries Regional Report No. CA964. 21pp plus appendices.

Johnston, N.T. and P.A. Slaney. 1996. Fish Habitat Assessment Procedures. Watershed Restoration Technical Circular No. 8. Watershed Restoration Program. Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks and Ministry of Forests. 97pp.

Lord, T.M. and E.E. Mackintosh. 1982. Soils of the Quesnel Area, British Columbia. Report no. 31 of the British Columbia Soil Survey. Agriculture Canada, Research Branch.

Meidinger, D. and J. Pojar. 1991. Ecosystems of British Columbia. Ministry of Forests. British Columbia. 330pp.

Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks, Cariboo Region. 1997. Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection Completion Procedures Draft 2A April 1997. British Columbia Fisheries Branch, Williams Lake. 25 pp.

Rowland, D.E. and L.B. McDonald. 1996. Salmon Watershed Planning process for the Fraser River Basin within the Cariboo Chilcotin Land Use Plan (CCLUP) area. Prepared for Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Habitat Management Unit, Prince George, B.C. and the Fraser River Action Plan, Vancouver, BC. 375pp.

Digital Fish Passage - Culvert Inspection Forms

Raw Data: Fish Passage - Culvert Inspection Forms