TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Summary
• Figure 1. Oyster River Watershed Monitoring Sites and Location Map
• Tables
  • Table 1. Provisional Water Quality Objectives for the Oyster River Basin
  • Table 2. Average 30-day Concentration of Total Ammonia Nitrogen for the Protection of Aquatic Life
  • Table 3. Maximum Concentration of Total Ammonia Nitrogen for the Protection of Aquatic Life
• Preface
• Introduction
• Hydrology
• Water Uses
• Waste Discharges
• Water Quality Assessment and Objectives
• Monitoring Recommendations

SUMMARY

The Oyster River flows into the Strait of Georgia, south of Campbell River. Among its tributaries are Piggott Creek and Adrian Creek near its headwaters, and Woodhus Creek and Little Oyster River closer to the mouth.

The Oyster River and its tributaries are a valuable resource for trout and salmon fisheries. They also serve as a source of drinking water supply and irrigation water. Although the recreational uses are confined primarily to the lower reaches of the mainstem Oyster River below Woodhus Creek, fishing may take place all the way to the confluence of Piggott Creek.

Among various anthropogenic activities identified in the Oyster River watershed, forestry is the most dominant activity. The lower portions of the watershed contain extensive areas of agricultural land, but much of the agricultural land is presently tree-covered and not being farmed. Several companies hold licences for mineral extraction (e.g., coal) and placer mining adjacent to or within the watershed. The mining related activities are currently limited to the exploration level, but may become active in the near future. Water quality problems due to mining have been reported for upper Piggott Creek, which receives acid mine drainage from an old, inactive copper mine on Mt. Washington (predominantly in the Tsolum River watershed). A waste management permit (PE-5123) has been issued which allows dischargwe of domestic sewage to Piggott Creek.

Provisional water quality objectives were set to protect existing water uses of the Oyster River and its tributaries. Water quality characteristics for which objectives were sert include particulate matter, fecal coliforms, nitrogen (e.g., ammonia, nitrate and nitrite), and a variety of metals.

PREFACE

Water quality objectives are prepared for specific bodies of fresh, estuarine and coastal marine surface waters of British Columbia as part of the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks' mandate to manage water quality. Objectives are prepared only for those waterbodies and water quality characteristics that may be affected by human activity now or in the near future.

Water quality objectives are based the BC approved and working criteria as well as national water quality guidelines. Water quality criteria and guidelines are safe limits of the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of water, biota (plant and animal life) or sediment which protect water use. Objectives are established in British Columbia for waterbodies on a site-specific basis. They are derived from the criteria by considering local water quality, water uses, water movement, waste discharges, and socio-economic factors.

Water quality objectives are set to protect the most sensitive designated water use at a specific location. A designated water use is one that is protected in a given location and is one of the following:

• raw drinking water, public water supply, and food processing
• aquatic life and wildlife
• agriculture (livestock watering and irrigation)
• recreation and aesthetics
• industrial water supplies.

Each objective for a location may be based on the protection of a different water use, depending on the uses that are most sensitive to the physical, chemical or biological characteristics affecting that waterbody.

Water quality objectives routinely provide policy direction for resource managers for the protection of water uses in specific waterbodies. Objectives guide the evaluation of water quality, the issuing of permits, licences and orders, and the management of fisheries and the province's land base. They also provide a reference against which the state of water quality in a particular waterbody can be checked, and help to determine whether basin-wide water quality studies should be initiated.

Water quality objectives are also a standard for assessing the Ministry's performance in protecting water uses. While water quality objectives have no legal standing and are not directly enforced, these objectives become legally enforceable when included as a requirement of a permit, licence, order, or regulation, such as the Forest Practices Code Act, Water Act regulations or Waste Management Act regulations.

Water quality objectives are established to protect all uses which may take place in a waterbody. Monitoring (sometimes called sampling) is undertaken to determine if all the designated water uses are being protected. The monitoring usually takes place at a critical time when a water quality specialist has determined that the water quality objectives may not be met. It is assumed that if all designated water uses are protected at the critical time, then they also will be protected at other times when the threat is less.

The monitoring usually takes place during a five week period, which allows the specialists to measure the worst, as well as the average condition in the water.

For some waterbodies, the monitoring period and frequency may vary, depending upon the nature of the problem, severity of threats to designated water uses, and the way the objectives are expressed (i.e., mean value, maximum value).

INTRODUCTION

In 1988, the British Columbia Ministry of Environment prepared a Water Management Plan for the Oyster River Watershed. The plan recommended to establish water quality objectives and a water quality monotoring program for the Oyster River watershed. The tasks of assessing water quality and setting water quality objectives in the watershed were undertaken in accordance with that recommendation

HYDROLOGY

Estimates from a hydrometric station on the Oyster River indicated that the streamflow was the highest in November/December due to fall rains. Another peak in the streamflow occurred during May-June due to snowmelt at higher elevations. The flows were the lowest in August and September.

WATER USES

In addition to sports fishing, boating and swimming are popular recreational activities particularly in the lower reaches of the mainstem Oyster River. The Oyster River and its tributaries are also important sources of drinking water and irrigation water.

WASTE DISCHARGES

Several companies hold licences for mineral extraction (e.g., coal) and placer mining adjacent to and in the Oyster River watershed. At present much of the mining related activities are limited to the exploration level. However, Nuspar Resources is proposing to develop its Chute Creek coal project in an area which includes the headwaters of Woodhus Creek.

The lower portion of the Oyster River watershed contains extensive areas of Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). However, much of the ALR land is presently tree-covered.

The only waste management permit (PE-5123) has been issued to Mt. Washington Resort to discharge domestic-type secondary effluent, from a recreational ski development, to Piggott Creek.

WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND OBJECTIVES

(a) The concentration of particulate matter (non-filterable residue and turbidity) was high at times near the mouth of the Oyster River. Local factors (rather than forestry) combined with high flows were likely reasons for the observed conditions.

(b) Occasionally high levels of fecal coliforms were observed throughout the Oyster River watershed. The fecal contamination of Piggott Creek resulted from the effluent discharged by the Mt. Washington ski development facility, and was limited to an area immediately below the permit (PE-5123) site. The wildlife in the area was the probable source of high fecal coliforms levels in Woodhus Creek, Little Oyster River and the mainstem Oyster River upstream from Woodhus Creek. The source(s) of fecal contamination in the Oyster River near the mouth were difficult to establish with the given data.

(c) The drainage from an old, abandoned copper mine on Mt. Washington raised levels of copper, chromium and aluminum in the tributary to Piggott Creek. The influence of the seepage on Piggott Creek and the Oyster River was minor, if any.

(d) Naturally higher levels of iron, manganese and copper were found in the Little Oyster River and Woodhus Creek.

(e) Water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life were exceeded on several occasions for a variety of metals (e.g., copper, iron, zinc, etc). Whether these discrepancies were caused by sample contamination, analytical error or natural variability is not clear. In one case, a high value for particulate matter was traced to a rare event of high precipitation. Extreme values with no obvious reasons were considered to be anomalous

Provisional water quality objectives were set for those characteristics which might be affected by the present or future land use activities. They include non-filterable residue, turbidity, nitrogen, microbiological indicators, (e.g., fecal coliforms), aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, pH, manganese, mercury, nickel and zinc. A summary of the recommended water quality objectives is presented in Table 1.

Water quality objectives have no legal standing and would not be directly enforced. They, however, provide policy direction for resource managers in protecting water uses in the specific water bodies. They will guide the evaluation of water quality, the issuing of permits, licences and orders and the management of the fisheries and of the Province's land base. They will also provide a reference against which the state of water quality in a particular water body can be checked, and serve to make decisions on whether to initiate basin-wide water quality studies.

Depending on the circumstances, water quality objectives may already be met in a waterbody, or may describe water quality conditions which can be met in the future. To limit the scope of the work, objectives are only being prepared for water bodies and water quality chearacteristics which may be affected by man's activity now and in the future

MONITORING RECOMMENDATIONS

Water quality characteristics that are considered in this report are listed in Table 1. In addition to fecal coliforms, other microbiological indicators such as E. coli, fecal streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and enterococci should also be measured. Fecal streptococci along with the knowledge of land use may be useful in identifying sources of fecal contamination in the watershed.

Currently, several water quality characteristics such as arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, mercury and nickel are being measured using detection limits which exceed the proposed objective levels. Detection limits less than or equal to the objectives, should be used to analyze water for these characteristics. Lead and mercury levels in resident fish should also be monitored to check if the objectives for the edible (muscle) tissue are being met

WATER QUALITY OBJECTIVES AND MONITORING TABLES