Watershed Restoration Program

Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks

Williams Lake, BC

K. Brydges, S. Luzzi, R. Sherman and J. Horchik

of

Building 4 - 203 Harbour Road

Victoria, B.C. V9A 3S2

March 1998

At the request of 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 the Nazko River watershed in August 1997 with funding provided by Forest Renewal British Columbia (FRBC). 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 Nazko River watershed (Carmanah Research Ltd., 1996).

The Nazko River watershed comprises a study area of 415,000 ha, and is located on the Interior Plateau of central British Columbia. Eight sub-basins within the watershed were included in the FPCI assessment. In order of confluence with the mainstem upstream from the mouth, the sub-basins were Snaking River, Redwater Creek, Michelle Creek, Clisbako River, Wentworth Creek, Tautri Creek, Brown Creek and Aneko Creek.

The main goal of the FPCI assessment is 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 Nazko watershed, 329 crossings were identified from the Overview report; 244 of these crossings were visited and 49 sites were culverts assessed for fish passage. There were 19 full barrier sites and 3 partial barrier sites; the remaining 27 sites appeared to be passable by fish. These sites were 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). Nineteen sites were assessed as high priority, five sites were assessed as moderate priority, and eighteen sites were assessed as low priority. Included with the descriptions of each site are remediation prescriptions and the length of stream habitat fish can gain access to by removing the barrier. Verification of the presence or absence of fish species in the watershed was included with the FPCI assessment.

Four sites (sites 50 through 53) were noted as sites of concern, but inspection forms could not be filled out due to the swamp-like nature of the streams.

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 Michael Parker (MELP). J. Horchik led the field crew of J. Dorey and J. Touchie. Report preparation could not have been accomplished without the enthusiastic hard work of S. Luzzi. L. Chew gathered study area information. Project guidance was provided by K. Brydges and R. Sherman. A. Dewey produced the maps for this report.

Report quality was assured by K. Brydges, H. Liebe-McGinnis and D. Lafleur.

Executive Summary *

Acknowledgements *

Table of Contents *

List of Figures and Tables *

1.0 Introduction *

2.0 Study Area *

3.0 Procedures *

4.0 Results *

5.0 Discussion *

6.0 Recommended Remediation Prescriptions *

Literature Cited *

In 1996 the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (MELP), Cariboo Region, initiated a Watershed Restoration Program (WRP) for the Nazko River watershed. As an initial step in this process, a Fish Habitat Assessment Procedure (FHAP) was conducted (Carmanah Research Ltd., 1996). From this report, recommendations were made to conduct more detailed surveys in 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., 1996) recommended that the culverts within the watershed be assessed in the field to determine if they were barriers to fish passage. The purpose of the Fish Passage - Culvert Inspection (FPCI) was to identify culverts on potentially fish bearing streams that are barriers to fish migration, and to suggest prescriptions to improve access to these streams for fish. By removing these barriers, instantaneous and inexpensive increases in fish habitat may be attained.

Carmanah Research Ltd. was contracted in June 1997 by MELP to complete a Fish Passage - Culvert Inspection (MELP, 1997) of 100 culverts within the Nazko watershed.

The Nazko River watershed is located in the Interior Plateau of central British Columbia (Figure 1). The drainage basin area is 415,000 ha, and the Nazko River mainstem is 157km in length. Eight sub-basins within the watershed were included in this assessment. In order of confluence with the mainstem upstream from the mouth, the sub-basins were Snaking River, Redwater Creek, Michelle Creek, Clisbako River, Wentworth Creek, Tautri Creek, Brown Creek and Aneko Creek. Four watersheds studied in the Nazko River Interior Watershed Assessment Procedure (IWAP) (Canyon, Ross, Summit and Gruidae sub-basins) were also included in the FPCI. Settlements within the watershed include the town of Nazko near the confluence of the Nazko River and Redwater Creek, and the Nazko Indian Reserve at the confluence of the mainstem and Michelle Creek.

The Nazko River watershed lies within the physiographic regions of the Chilcotin and Nechako Plateaus. The topography consists of gently rolling undissected uplands interspersed with numerous small lakes and wetland areas. The bedrock geology is of volcanic origin, consisting of gently dipping, Miocene/Pliocene olivine basalt flows. The surficial materials are mainly unconsolidated glacial deposits. Fluvial and glaciofluvial deposits dominate the mainstems of the Nazko and Clisbako rivers, while the remainder of the basin is overlain by basal and ablation morainal deposits of till (Lord and Walmsley, 1988).

Figure 1. Nazko Watershed Fish Passage Culvert Inspection Area

The climate of the study area is characteristically dry. Average annual temperature is approximately 2° C, with average summer highs in July-August of 14° C and January winter lows averaging -13° C. Average annual precipitation is approximately 440 mm, with an estimated 40% falling as snow. The majority of rainfall occurs in June, July and August.

The biogeoclimatic zones that dominate the study area are the Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS) and Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir (ESSF) zones. The Chilcotin Pine Subzone (SBSa) is predominant in the watershed, and is characterized by white spruce and lodgepole pine, with black spruce in wetland areas. The Douglas Fir-White Spruce Subzone (SBSb) follows mainly along the corridor of the lower mainstem, and is dominated by Douglas fir, white spruce, lodgepole pine, trembling aspen and paper birch. The wet subzone of the Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir Zone (ESSFh) is characterized by subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce, and occurs in localized regions of the eastern portion of the drainage basin (Annas and Coupé, 1979).

The Water Survey of Canada gauging station on the Nazko River above Michelle Creek (No. 08KF001), has a flow record dating back to 1965. Mean annual flow over the period of record is 4.61 m³s^-1. To estimate the mean annual flow for the Nazko River at the mouth, a conversion of the measured discharge by a ratio of the total watershed area (415 000 ha) over the gauged watershed area (324 000 ha) gives a discharge of 5.9 m³s^-1. Average maximum and minimum monthly discharges take place in May and January-February respectively. Summer and winter 7-day low flows calculated by Rood and Hamilton (1995) using records from 1981 to 1990 are 1.27 m³s^-1 and 0.96 m³s^-1 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 predominant anadromous salmonid fish species in the Nazko River watershed is chinook salmon. Resident rainbow trout are also prevalent throughout the watershed, mainly in tributary sub-basins. Kokanee and mountain whitefish have also been documented in some mainstem lakes (FISS, 1994; Imhof and Sutherland, 1996). No occurrence of rare fish species has been documented in the watershed (Conservation Data Centre, 1997; FISS 1994). Fish distribution in the watershed is described by sub-basin in Section 5.6 Fish Distribution.

The major land use activities within the watershed are agriculture and forestry. Some mineral exploration also takes place in the upper Clisbako River sub-basin. Farming is predominant on the mainstem downstream of the Nazko reserve. Surface and groundwater extractions for irrigation, stock watering and domestic use impact the hydrological regime of the watershed mainly in the summer. Stream sedimentation via bank erosion caused by fording cattle has affected the streams in some areas.

Of the 415,000 ha of the Nazko River watershed, 90% is forested. Forest harvesting in the study area began in the mid-1960’s, with the majority taking place over the past 15 years. Salvage harvesting due to an infestation of mountain pine beetle took place during the mid- to late 1980’s. Between 1982 and 1997, areas logged and proposed for logging were estimated at 6.3% of the watershed; less than 2% of the watershed was logged prior to 1982. Within the Nazko watershed, both the lower portions of the Snaking (Rood and Hamilton, 1995) and the Clisbako rivers (J. Quigley, pers. comm.) have been identified as areas of concern with regard to logging.

The procedures used during this survey were consistent with the procedures outlined in the Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection Completion Procedures (FPCI) Draft 2A (April 1997), prepared by MELP, Cariboo Region; however, alternate methods were used for collecting bankfull depth, water velocity and fish data. Bankfull depth was measured and recorded as the distance from the water surface to the top of the bank in the field. Measurements were taken at various locations along the length of the site. For the purpose of this discussion, the average bankfull depth from the water surface was added to the average water depth to give a total bankfull depth. The water velocities through the culverts were measured using the floating object method (Johnston and Slaney, 1996), rather than with a flow meter because the water depth in the culverts was often too shallow to allow for proper use of the meter. Lastly, because of an electroshocker malfunction, a beach or pole seine was used to capture fish from August 21, 1997 to the end of the project, August 27,1997. At the majority of sites, this method resulted in fish capture. At sites where fish were not captured, baited Gee minnow traps, soaked overnight, were used as a secondary method.

Initial site locations were determined by selecting road crossings from the maps in the FHAP Overview report of the Nazko River watershed (Carmanah Research Ltd., 1996). Culverts that were recommended for further assessment in the Overview report were also included in this initial site selection process. These maps were used because the scale was small enough (1:190,500, 1:160,000, 1:100,000, 1:76,900) that ephemeral and small, non-fish bearing first-order streams were not shown. Three hundred and twenty-nine crossings were identified. Upon field inspection, it was found that many of the 100 sites initially chosen were bridges, fords, or culverts that had already been removed. Once several sub-basins were inspected, it was determined that approximately 75% of the sites visited were not culvert crossings. Thus, to reduce the time and cost involved in travelling to non-culvert crossings, the inspected sub-basins were analyzed to determine the order of stream on which a culvert crossing normally occurred. It was found that culverts were commonly utilized on first-, second- and third-order streams, and therefore new sampling sites were assigned from a 1:50,000 scale map. To avoid confusing ephemeral streams with small first-order streams at the 1:50,000 map level and to make efficient use of the time available, it was decided that only streams with a minimum of approximately 1km of length upstream of the crossing would be sampled. After narrowing the scope of site selection, it was found that there were still a lot of unknown ford crossings and pulled culverts on these streams. By the end of the field assessment phase, 244 sites had been visited resulting in 49 culverts being assessed for fish passage. Four additional culvert sites were inspected but could not be assessed due to the swamp-like nature of the streams.

From maps of the Nazko River watershed, 329 crossings were identified; of these, 244 were visited and 49 were assessed as culverts. Four additional culvert sites were inspected but could not be assessed due to the swamp-like nature of the streams. A summary of the data from the Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection of the Nazko watershed can be found in Table 1. The data were collected between August 8, 1997 and September 5, 1997. It was determined that there were 19 full barrier sites (F) and 3 partial barrier sites (P). Partial barriers are obstructions that may impede certain fish species or size classes. There were 27 sites where the culverts were not acting as barriers (N). The factors used in determining a barrier are discussed in detail in Section 5.0 Discussion. The "n/a" entries that occur under the "Velocity" heading in Table 1 were recorded because low water depths in the culvert did not allow for an accurate flow measurement. This is explained by site in the discussion. The FPCI forms completed in the field for each site can be found in the Appendix.

Table 1. Results of FPCI completed in the Nazko watershed, August/September 1997.

After the culvert inspection in the Nazko 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. 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 2m 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, V.A. and H.W. 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 49 assessed culverts conformed to the minimum culvert width standards outlined in the FPCI Completion Procedures (MELP, 1997). The FPCI procedures state that in a watershed east of the Cascade Mountains such as this, the culvert diameter should not be less than 40cm or the mean bankfull width, whichever is greater. If these standards were to be met by the existing culverts in the Nazko watershed, all 49 of the assessed culverts would have to be replaced. This factor was disregarded in prioritizing culverts for replacement.

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 FPCI Completion Procedures (MELP, 1997). 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 water velocity or culvert outfall drop was a barrier to fish, tables 1 and 2 of the FPCI Completion Procedures (MELP, 1997) were used. These tables indicate that juvenile rainbow trout (125mm) can maintain a maximum prolonged speed of approximately 0.7m/s and have a maximum jump height of approximately 0.6m under ideal conditions. Through professional judgement, it was determined that 0.3m would likely be a barrier to any size class of fish attempting to leap from a pool into the mouth of a culvert. In determining if incline was a barrier to fish, the FPCI Completion Procedures (MELP, 1997) state 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%. A Sunnto clinometer, which measures slope in 1% increments, was used to determine the culvert slope in the field. Clinometers are not recommended for measuring gradients less than 3% (RIC, 1997). Due to the inaccuracies involved in using a Suunto clinometer for this measurement, values of 1.5% and 1% were used as the maximum acceptable culvert slope, respectively. Based on professional judgement, a number of the culverts that met the values in the FPCI did not appear as though they would be barriers to fish passage in this system. None of the culverts sampled in the Nazko River watershed had baffles. Culvert length was only considered a factor in determining if incline was 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 Nazko 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. The species of fish caught at each site are discussed by sub-basin in Section 5.6 Fish Distribution. Sediment input throughout the study area was minimal, however a note was made at sites where sediment was observed.

Nineteen culverts were classified as high priority sites (sites 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 25, 29, 30, 31, 38, 43, 44, and 46). All were full barriers to fish passage; however, site 3 had a ford along-side the culvert that did allow fish passage at certain times of the year (low-flow barrier). Of all the high priority sites, all but five had fish both upstream and downstream of the culvert; these include sites 10, 12, 18 and 38, where no fish were found, as well as site 31, where fish were found upstream only.

This site was located on 2500 Road at a crossing on the Snaking River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.1m and a bankfull width of 3.0m. The water and bankfull depths were 18cm and 45cm respectively. The stream gradient was 5% and the water velocity was 0.09m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 7.4m and a diameter of 122.5cm. The slope of the culvert was 3%, the culvert water velocity was 1.03m/s and the culvert culvert water depth was 10cm. The culvert outfall drop was 2cm into a 60cm deep pool. For a culvert of this length, the slope of the culvert was a barrier, and the culvert water velocity was a barrier for most fish species and size classes. 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, approximately 4.68km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J1, #12-15.

This site was located on 2500 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Snaking River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.1m and a bankfull width of 6.2m. The water and bankfull depths were 19cm and 63cm respectively. The stream gradient was 5% and the water velocity was 0.18m/s. There was high sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 7.48m and a diameter of 47cm. The slope of the culvert was 3%, the culvert water velocity was 0.51m/s and the culvert water depth was 19cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 25cm deep pool. For a culvert of this length, the slope of the culvert was a barrier. There is also a ford at this site that likely allows fish passage around the culvert at high flows. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. There are approximately 3.43km of habitat available upstream of this crossing. The photos for this site are Roll J1, #16-21.

This site was located on 5600 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Snaking River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.63m and a bankfull width of 6.3m. The water and bankfull depths were 60cm and 97cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2% and the water velocity was 0.12m/s. There was moderate sediment input and beaver activity in the area; a dam was noted upstream of the culvert. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 18.9m and a diameter of 138cm. The slope of the culvert was 3.5%, the culvert water velocity was 1.4m/s and the culvert water depth was 10cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 105cm deep pool. For a culvert of this length, the slope of the culvert was a barrier, and the culvert water velocity was a barrier to most fish species and size classes. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. Also, with beaver activity upstream, it is important to monitor the crossing for debris accumulation. By removing this barrier, approximately 9.11km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J2, #8-10 and Roll J2, #12-15.

This site was located on Marmot Lake Road (44A Rd) at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.8m and a bankfull width of 3.7m. The water and bankfull depths were 22cm and 63cm respectively. The stream gradient was 12% and the water velocity was 0.29m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 17.6m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 3.5%, the culvert water velocity was 1.47m/s and the culvert water depth was 6cm. The culvert outfall drop was 23cm into an 80cm deep pool. For a culvert of this length, the slope of the culvert was a barrier, and the culvert water velocity was a barrier to most fish species and size classes. 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, approximately 0.15km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J3A, #2-7.

This site was located on the Snaking River Forest Service Road (5100 Rd) at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.7m and a bankfull width of 4.3m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 71cm respectively. The stream gradient was 7.0% and the water velocity was 0.36m/s. There was high sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 37.5m and a diameter of 153cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.43m/s and the culvert water depth was 8cm. The culvert outfall drop was 30cm into a 31cm deep pool. For a culvert of this length, the slope of the culvert was a barrier, and the drop from the culvert combined with the depth of the outfall pool was a barrier to most fish species and size classes. 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, approximately 13.37km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J3A, #8-11 and Roll J3A, #13.

This site was located on 5100 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Snaking River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.0m and a bankfull width of 3.1m. The water and bankfull depths were 16cm and 59cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% and the water velocity was 0m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by electroshocking or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 15.3 m and a diameter of 121cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.18m/s and the culvert water depth was 3cm. The culvert outfall drop was 10cm into a 20cm deep pool. For a culvert of this length, the slope of the culvert was 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, 8.3km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J3B, #6-9.

This site was located on Honolulu Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 1.2m and a bankfull width of 2.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 8cm and 56cm respectively. The stream gradient was 6% and the water velocity was 0.13m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by electroshocking or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 16m and a diameter of 59cm. The slope of the culvert was 3%, the culvert water velocity was 0.58m/s and the culvert water depth was 5cm. The culvert outfall drop was 35cm into a 35cm deep pool. The drop from this culvert, combined with the shallow outfall pool depth, was a barrier to most fish species and size classes. The slope of the culvert was also a barrier for a culvert of this length. 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, approximately 2.49km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J3B, #18-24.

This site was located on Honolulu Road at a crossing on Wentworth Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.9m and a bankfull width of 6.4m. The water and bankfull depths were 21cm and 103cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1.5% and the water velocity was 0.12m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 9.75m and a diameter of 153cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.5%, the culvert water velocity was 1.23m/s and the culvert water depth was 13cm. The culvert outfall drop was 5cm into a 110cm deep pool. The culvert water velocity at this site was a barrier to most fish species and size classes. 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, approximately 25.30km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J4, #9-12.

This site was located on Honolulu Road at a crossing on Canyon Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 3.6m and a bankfull width of 6.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 82cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2% and the water velocity was 0.13m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 9.2m and a diameter of 80cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was 1.01m/s and the culvert water depth was 9cm. The culvert outfall drop was 10cm into an 80cm deep pool. The culvert water velocity at this site was a barrier to most fish species and size classes. 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, approximately 17.19km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J4, #13-17.

This site was located on 6000 Road at a crossing on a tributary of Wentworth Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.9m and a bankfull width of 3.4m. The water and bankfull depths were 13cm and 55cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2.5% and the water velocity was 0.04m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 10.2m and a diameter of 80cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.49m/s and the culvert water depth was 3cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 57cm deep pool. For a culvert of this length, the incline was a barrier. This road is proposed for semi-permanent deactivation (Carmanah Research Ltd. 1998). The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream and the future use of the road. By removing this barrier, approximately 4.65km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J5, #2-6.

This site was located on 3000 Road at a crossing on Johnny Sam Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 0.6m and a bankfull width of 1.3m. The water and bankfull depths were 154cm and 202cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% and the water velocity was 0m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by electroshocking or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 11.8m and a diameter of 77cm. The slope of the culvert was 3.5% and the culvert water depth was 17cm. The culvert water velocity could not be measured because the flow of water at the outlet of the culvert was backed up. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 52cm deep pool. The culvert had split halfway down its length and the water flowed in through the crack creating a barrier to fish passage. The incline of this culvert was 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, approximately 2.64km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J5, #23-24, Roll J6, #1-2.

This site was located on 100 Road at a crossing on a tributary of Tautri Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.6m and a bankfull width of 3.7m. The water and bankfull depths were 7cm and 46cm respectively. The stream gradient was 3% and the water velocity was 0.05m/s. There was no sediment input. Beaver activity in the area was noted as a dam upstream of the culvert. Mountain whitefish were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking and Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 20.9m and a diameter of 189cm. The slope of the culvert was 2% and the culvert water depth was 2cm. The culvert water velocity could not be measured because the culvert water depth was too shallow. The culvert outfall drop was 38cm into a 72cm deep pool. The culvert slope was a barrier, and the culvert outfall drop was also a barrier to some fish size classes. The culvert diameter was too small for the size of the stream, and beaver activity upstream may pose a problem in the future should the dam break. 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, approximately 12.67km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J7, #22-23, Roll J8, #2-3.

This site was located on Baezaeko Road (3900 Rd) at a crossing on Michelle Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.4m and a bankfull width of 7.4m. The water and bankfull depths were 19cm and 80cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0% and the water velocity was 0.12m/s. There was no sediment input. Downstream of the culvert, there were signs of beaver activity; although chewed trees were noted, no dam or hut could be found. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by seine net.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 23.5m and a diameter of 219cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was 0.91m/s and the culvert water depth was 10cm. The culvert outfall drop was 5cm into an 85cm deep pool. The culvert water velocity at this site was a barrier to most fish species and size classes. The culvert diameter was too small for a stream of this size, and the beaver activity in the area may cause further problems if a culvert was left at this crossing. 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, approximately 10.36km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J8, #19-22.

This site was located on 3900 Road at a crossing on a tributary of Michelle Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.2m and a bankfull width of 7.6m. The water and bankfull depths were 8cm and 54cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% and the water velocity was 0.06m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 18m and a diameter of 90cm. The slope of the culvert was 1% and the culvert water depth was 4cm. The culvert water velocity could not be measured because the culvert water depth was too shallow. The culvert outfall drop was 46cm into a 21cm deep pool. The culvert outfall drop relative to the pool depth at the outfall creates a barrier to most fish species and size classes. 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, approximately 5.52km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J8, #23-24, Roll J9, #1-2.

This site was located on 3900 Road at a crossing on a tributary to Michelle Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.1m and a bankfull width of 6.5m. The water and bankfull depths were 18cm and 52cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% and the water velocity was 0.04m/s. There was high sediment input, but no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured, but one was observed, possibly a mountain whitefish.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 31m and a diameter of 89cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.5% and the culvert water depth was 2cm. The culvert water velocity could not be measured because the culvert culvert water depth was too shallow, and the culvert had rocks and vegetation inside that would have given a false reading. The culvert outfall drop was 22cm into a 30cm deep pool. The incline of this culvert was a barrier to fish passage. 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, approximately 2.58km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J9, #3-5, Roll J10, #1-2, Roll J3B, #13-14.

This site was located on Alexis Lake Road at a crossing on a tributary of Aneko Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.6m and a bankfull width of 2.3m. The water and bankfull depths were 17cm and 66cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1.5% and the water velocity was 0.1m/s. There was high sediment input, but no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by seine nets or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.2m and a diameter of 80cm. The slope of the culvert was 2.5% and the culvert water depth was 3cm. The culvert water velocity could not be measured because the culvert water depth was too shallow and the upstream end of the culvert had been damaged by a grader. The culvert outfall drop was 25cm into a 50cm deep pool. The incline of the culvert was a barrier to fish passage. 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, approximately 2.84km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J12, #6-9.

This site was located on 5600 Road at a crossing on a tributary in the Snaking River sub-basin. The stream had a wetted width of 1.1m and a bankfull width of 1.7m. The water and bankfull depths were 13cm and 68cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2% and the water velocity was 0.03m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 10m and a diameter of 50cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.74m/s and the culvert water depth was 6cm. The culvert outfall drop was 13cm into a 37cm deep pool. The incline of this culvert was a barrier to fish passage, and the culvert water velocity was a barrier to some fish species and size classes. 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, approximately 3.41km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J14, #1-4.

This site was located on 5200 Road at a crossing on a tributary in the Udy Creek sub-basin. The stream had a wetted width of 1.2m and a bankfull width of 4.2m. The water and bankfull depths were 10cm and 54cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2% and the water velocity was 0.07m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.7m and a diameter of 78cm. The slope of the culvert was 2%, the culvert water velocity was 0.52m/s and the culvert water depth was 7cm. The culvert outfall drop was 12cm into a 31cm deep pool. The culvert incline at this site was 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, approximately 2.12km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J14, #5-8.

This site was located on 4300 Road at a crossing on Swanson Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.5m and a bankfull width of 2.6m. The water and bankfull depths were 15cm and 76cm respectively. The stream gradient was 3% and the water velocity was 0.16m/s. There was moderate sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 11.2m and a diameter of 95cm. The slope of the culvert was 3%, the culvert water velocity was 0.68m/s and the culvert water depth was 9cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 47cm deep pool. The incline of the culvert was a barrier to fish passage, and the culvert was badly damaged. This road is proposed for permanent deactivation (Carmanah Research Ltd. 1998). 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 entirely at the time of deactivation. By removing this barrier, approximately 17.19km of habitat will be re-opened. The photos for this site are Roll J14, #13-19.

There were five culverts that were classified as moderate priority sites (sites 36, 37, 40, 41 and 42). Three were partial barriers to fish passage (sites 37, 40, 41). The culverts at sites 36 and 42 were both damaged and were becoming blocked with debris due to beaver activity in the area. Sites 40, 41 and 42 each had fish both upstream and downstream of the crossing; site 36 had fish downstream but no sampling was done upstream, and site 37 had no fish either upstream or downstream.

This site was located on 4600 Road at a crossing on the Nazko River in its headwaters. Stream and velocity measurements could not be taken accurately because the stream was flooded and no distinct channel was apparent. There was low sediment input and beaver dams were noted upstream of the crossing. Mountain whitefish were captured above the crossing by seine nets and Gee minnow traps, but no fish sampling was done downstream due to limited culvert water depth.

There were three side-by-side culverts at this site; all were round corrugated steel. Culvert A had a length of 6m and a diameter of 40cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the culvert water depth was 14cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 15cm deep pool. Culvert B had a length of 6.9m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the culvert water depth was 2cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 1cm deep pool. Culvert B was full of sand and woody debris, and appeared to have been crushed into an oval shape. Culvert C had a length of 8.9m and a diameter of 46cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%. Culvert C was dry and full of woody debris. Although this site does not appear to pose a barrier to fish passage, the debris blockage and the damage to the culvert may become a problem. This road is proposed for semi-permanent deactivation (Carmanah Research Ltd. 1998). The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream and the future use of the road. By removing this partial barrier, approximately 17.8km of habitat will be made more accessible to all species and size classes of fish. The photos for this site are Roll J11, #19-24.

This site was located on Clusko-Ross Forest Service Road at a crossing on a tributary to the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.5m and a bankfull width of 3.3m. The water and bankfull depths were 46cm and 93cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2% and the water velocity was 0.05m/s. There was moderate sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by seine nets or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 10.7m and a diameter of 152cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.31m/s and the culvert water depth was 2cm. The culvert outfall drop was 41cm into an 84cm deep pool. The culvert outfall drop was a barrier to some fish species and size classes. The pool depth at the outfall is sufficiently deep enough to allow some adult fish to surpass the drop and move into habitat upstream of the culvert. Also, the road is being undercut above the culvert, indicating that the culvert is too small for the size of this stream. 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 partial barrier, approximately 6.07km of habitat will be made more accessible to all species and size classes of fish. The photos for this site are Roll J12, #1-5.

This site was located on Alexis Lake Road at a crossing on Aneko Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.9m and a bankfull width of 5.2m. The water and bankfull depths were 33cm and 76cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0.5% and the water velocity was 0.09m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by seine net.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 11.6m and a diameter of 175cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was 0.08m/s and the culvert water depth was 5cm. The culvert outfall drop was 32cm into a 130cm deep pool. The culvert outfall drop was a barrier to some fish species and size classes. 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 partial barrier, approximately 27.44km of habitat will be made more accessible to all species and size classes of fish. The photos for this site are Roll J12, #15-18.

This site was located on Clusko-Brown Forest Service Road at a crossing on a tributary to Aneko Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 3.6m and a bankfull width of 4.4m. The water and bankfull depths were 31cm and 82cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0% and the water velocity was 0m/s. This section of the stream was a swamp. There was high sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by seine net.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 14.1m and a diameter of 187cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the culvert water depth was 2cm. The culvert outfall drop was 40cm into an 83cm deep pool. A ford upstream of the culvert was dry, creating a low flow barrier. The culvert outfall drop was a barrier to some fish species and size classes. 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 partial barrier, approximately 8.9km of habitat will be made more accessible to all species and size classes of fish. The photos for this site are Roll J12, #19-24.

This site was located on Alexis Lake Road at a crossing on Ross Creek. Stream measurements could not be taken accurately because the stream was flooded and had no distinct channel. There was no sediment input, and beaver dams were noted both upstream and downstream of the crossing. Mountain whitefish were captured both above and below the culvert by seine net.

There were three side-by-side culverts at this site; all were round corrugated steel. Culvert A had a length of 18m and a diameter of 61cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the culvert water depth was 24cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 53cm deep pool. Culvert A had debris inside, and at low flows its intake would be above the water surface. Culvert B had a length of 18.6m and a diameter of 91cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the culvert water depth was 60cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 77cm deep pool. Culvert B was half full of debris. Culvert C had a length of 17.1m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the culvert water depth was 105cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 96cm deep pool. Culvert C was over half full of debris, had debris building up at its intake, and its outfall was slightly damaged. Although this site does not appear to pose a full barrier to fish passage, the debris blockage and the damage to the culvert may become a problem. The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream. The photos for this site are Roll J12, #1-5.

3. Low Priority

There were 18 culverts that were classified as low priority sites (sites 1, 11, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 28, 33, 34, 35, 45, 47, 48, and 49). None of these sites appeared to be barriers to fish migration; however, they did not necessarily conform to FPCI guidelines. The concerns with all the low priority sites are primarily maintenance concerns; the issues addressed for each site may lead to the culvert failing or becoming a barrier to fish passage in the future. Fish were found both upstream and downstream at sites 1, 11, 20, 22, 23, 24, 28, 34, 35, 47 and 48. At site 33, fish were found downstream of the culvert but no sampling was done upstream.

Site 1

Site 1 was located on 52B Road at a crossing on a tributary of Udy Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.0m and a bankfull width of 2.1m. The water and bankfull depths were 23cm and 70cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1.5% with a water velocity of 0.15m/s. There was high sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.5m and a diameter of 152.5cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.28m/s and the water depth was 12cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 1.9m deep pool. The concern at this site was the erosion of the road around the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J1, #6-11.

Site 11

Site 11 was located on a side road of the 5100 Road at a crossing on Axe Creek. Axe Creek had a wetted width of 3m and a bankfull width of 3.7m. The water and bankfull depths were 45cm and 63cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% and the water velocity was unable to be measured. There was high sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.35m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was not available due to low flows, the water depth was 5cm. There was no culvert outfall drop and a 120cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the possible barrier to fish migration caused by low flows through the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J3B, #10-15.

Site 15

Site 15 was located on 8000 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 1.3m and a bankfull width of 2.8m. The water and bankfull depths were 18cm and 64cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1.5% with a water velocity of 0.18m/s. There was no sediment input or beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by electroshocking or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of approximately 15m and a diameter of 100cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was not available due to low flows and the water depth was 9cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 10cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the possible barrier to fish migration caused by low flows through the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J4, #19-23.

Site 19

Site 19 was located on 6000 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 2m and a bankfull width of 3.6m. The water and bankfull depths were 40cm and 69cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0% with a water velocity of 0.02m/s. There was no sediment input but there were some beaver cuttings in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by electroshocking or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 7m and a diameter of 45cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, there was no measurable culvert water velocity, the water depth was 12cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 52cm deep pool. The concerns at this site were the road erosion and the size of the culvert with regard to the beaver activity in the area. The photos for this site are Roll J6, #3-9.

Site 20

Site 20 was located on 6000 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 0.96m and a bankfull width of 1.3m. The water and bankfull depths were 19cm and 79cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0.5% with a water velocity of 0.05m/s. There was no sediment input or beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 13.9m and a diameter of 93cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was not available due to the shallow water depth of 4cm. The culvert outfall drop was 30cm into a 39cm deep pool. The concerns at this site were the possible barrier to fish passage due to the outfall drop and woody debris blocking the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J6, #10-14.

Site 21

Site 21 was located on 3000 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.4m and a bankfull width of 5.1m. The water and bankfull depths were 9cm and 77cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2.5% with a water velocity of 0.11m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by electroshocking or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 18.2m and a diameter of 84cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was 0.29m/s and the water depth was 17cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 62cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the erosion of the bank around the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J6, #21-24 and Roll J7, #1-2.

Site 22

Site 22 was located on 3500 Road at a crossing on with Johnny Sam Creek. Johnny Sam Creek had a wetted width of 1.9m and a bankfull width of 4.5m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 84cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2% with a water velocity of 0.03m/s. There was high sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Mountain whitefish were captured both above and below the culvert by seine nets.

There were two side-by-side round corrugated steel culverts at this site. Culvert A had a length of 7.1m and a diameter of 85cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the water depth was 15cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 28cm deep pool. Culvert B had a length of 7.1m and a diameter of 85cm. The culvert water depth was too shallow to measure culvert water velocity, and woody debris was blocking the culvert inlet. The slope of the culvert was 0.5% and the water depth was 2cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 20cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the woody debris blocking the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J7, #1-7.

Site 23

Site 23 was located on 3500 Road at a crossing on Johnny Sam Creek. Johnny Sam Creek had a wetted width of 1.9m and a bankfull width of 3.2m. The water and bankfull depths were 34cm and 105cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% with a water velocity of 0.05m/s. There was no sediment input or beaver activity in the area. Mountain whitefish were captured both above and below the culvert by seine nets.

There were two stacked round corrugated steel culverts at this site. Culvert water velocity could not be measured due to low water flows and a boulder blocking the flow inside the culvert. Culvert A had a length of 6.2m and a diameter of 90cm. The slope of the culvert was 1% and the water depth was 4cm. There was a 13cm culvert outfall drop into a 48cm deep pool. Culvert B had a length of 7.1m and a diameter of 90cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5% and the culvert was dry. There was a 32cm culvert outfall drop into a 48cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the boulder blocking the culvert and the low flows. The photos for this site are Roll J7, #10-14.

Site 24

Site 24 was located on 100 Road at a crossing on Johnny Sam Creek. Johnny Sam Creek had a wetted width of 6.8m and a bankfull width of 7.6m. The water and bankfull depths were 50cm and 82cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0.5% with a water velocity of 0.02m/s. There was no sediment input but there were beaver dams in the area. Mountain whitefish were captured both above and below the culvert by seine nets.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 15m and a diameter of 137cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was 0.13m/s and the water depth was 5cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 60cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the size of the culvert with regard to the beaver activity in the area. The photos for this site are Roll J7, #15-21.

Site 26

Site 26 was located on 8700 Road at a crossing on a tributary of Michelle Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.4m and a bankfull width of 2.5m. The water and bankfull depths were 20cm and 47cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% with a water velocity of 0.07m/s. There was no sediment input or beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by seine nets or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 10m and a diameter of 60cm. The slope of the culvert was 1% and the water depth was 17cm. The culvert water velocity could not be measured because of rocks in the culvert. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 25cm deep pool. The concern at this site is the low flows and the partial blockage from rocks in the culverts. The photos for this site are Roll J8, #4-7.

Site 28

Site 28 was located on 5800 Road at a crossing on Redwater Creek. Redwater Creek had a wetted width of 3.8m and a bankfull width of 7.8m. The water and bankfull depths were 43cm and 95cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2% with a water velocity of 0.12m/s. There was no sediment input but there were beaver dams in the area. Mountain whitefish and redside shiners were captured both above and below the culvert by seine nets.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 15.5m and a diameter of 169cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.1m/s and the water depth was 34cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 40cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the size of the culvert with regard to the beaver activity in the area. The photos for this site are Roll J8, #13-18.

Site 33

Site 33 was located on 1300 Road at a crossing on a tributary of Tautri Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 7.8m and a bankfull width of 10.4m. The water and bankfull depths were 37cm and 110cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0% with a water velocity of 0.03m/s. There was no sediment input or beaver dams in the area. Mountain whitefish were captured below the culvert by seine nets.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 17m and a diameter of 120cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.29m/s and the water depth was 5cm. There was a culvert outfall drop of 22cm into a 61cm deep pool. This site was a potential barrier due to the damage to the culvert and blockage from woody debris. Because the road has been permanently deactivated above the culvert it is recommended that this culvert be removed. The photos for this site are Roll J11, #6-9.

Site 34

Site 34 was located on 1700 Road at a crossing on a tributary of Palmer Lake. The stream had a wetted width of 1.1m and a bankfull width of 2.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 12cm and 56cm respectively. The stream gradient was 3.5% with a water velocity of 0.02m/s. There was no sediment input but there were beaver dams in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by seine nets.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 4m and a diameter of 60cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.07m/s and the water depth was 5cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 5cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the size of the culvert with regard to beaver activity in the area. The photos for this site are Roll J11, #10-13.

Site 35

Site 35 was located on 4600 Road at a crossing on Ross Creek. The stream characteristics were unable to be recorded because the area was a swamp. There was moderate sediment input and there were beaver dams in the area. Mountain whitefish were captured above and below the culvert by seine nets and Gee minnow traps.

There were two side-by-side round corrugated steel culverts at this site. The culvert water velocity was not measurable because the area was a swamp. Culvert A had a length of 6.1m and a diameter of 63cm. The slope of the culvert was 0% and the water depth was 63cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into an 81cm deep pool. Culvert B had a length of 6.1m and a diameter of 63cm. The slope of the culvert was 0% and the water depth was 63cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into an 81cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the size of the culvert with regard to beaver activity in the area. The photos for this site are Roll J11, #15-18.

Site 45

Site 45 was located on 2000 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Snaking River. The stream had a wetted width of 0.8m and a bankfull width of 1.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 8cm and 50cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1.5% with a water velocity of 0.09m/s. There was low sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured above or below the culvert by electroshocking or the Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 14.4m and a diameter of 64cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was 0.35m/s and the water depth was 3cm. There was a culvert outfall drop of 15cm into a 14cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the low flows in the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J14, #9-12.

Site 47

Site 47 was located on 4300 Road at a crossing on Swanson Creek. Swanson Creek had a wetted width of 2.1m and a bankfull width of 4m. The water and bankfull depths were 13cm and 56cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% with a water velocity of 0.18m/s. There was no sediment input or beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.1m and a diameter of 90cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, the culvert water velocity was not measurable and the water depth was 9cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 25cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the remnants of an old wooden bridge that has collapsed into the creek. The photos for this site are Roll J14, #20-24.

Site 48

Site 48 was located on 4300 Road at a crossing on Swanson Creek. Swanson Creek had a wetted width of 1.2m and a bankfull width of 3.5m. The water and bankfull depths were 14cm and 60cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2.5% with a water velocity of 0.17m/s. There was no sediment input or beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.6m and a diameter of 100cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.37m/s and the water depth was 2cm. There was a culvert outfall drop of 7cm into a 34cm deep pool. The culvert was bent and had cracked in the centre. The concern at this site was the damage to the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J14, #25 and Roll J15, #1-3.

Site 49

Site 49 was located on 7000 Road at a crossing on McFarland Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 3.6m and a bankfull width of 5m. The water and bankfull depths were 60cm and 91cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0% and the water velocity was 0m/s. There was no sediment input or beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured above or below the culvert by electroshocking and Gee minnow traps.

There were two stacked round corrugated steel culverts at this site. Culvert A had a length of 16.7m and a diameter of 180cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the water depth was 32cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 60cm deep pool. Culvert B had a length of 12.6m and a diameter of 76cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, and the culvert was dry. There was a 3cm culvert outfall drop into a 9cm deep pool. The concern at this site was the size of the culvert, with regard to the beaver activity upstream of the culvert. The photos for this site are Roll J15, #4-9.

 

5.4 Other Sites of Concern

There were four sites for which no inspection form was completed because the area had no defined stream channel, the area was a swamp or wetland or the crossing was a ford. Visual observations were recorded and photos were taken for these sites.

Site 50

This site was 5.6km off 3000 Road and crossed an unnamed stream in the Nazko River Sub-basin (mapsheet number 93B.117). An inspection form was not completed at this site because no defined stream channel was found and the area was a swamp. The culvert was too small for the amount of water transported across the road. The road has flexed the culvert causing the upstream end to sit above the water surface and a ford to form (photos: Roll J6, #15-20). The recommendation for this site is to replace the culvert with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the stream.

Site 51

At this site the culvert was washed out and woody debris had jammed up at the crossing (photos: Roll J2, #6-7). This site was 2.1km off 5600 Road and crossed an unnamed stream in the Snaking River Sub-basin (mapsheet number 93B.122). The culvert and woody debris should be removed and the road edge should be armoured.

Site 52

This site crossed Brown Creek and was 15.5km off 7100 road (mapsheet number 93B.117). This culvert at this site has been pulled out and left on the bank (photos: Roll J3B, #16-17). The culvert should be removed from the site.

Site 53

The last site for which no inspection form was completed was on the 1300 Road and crossed an unnamed stream in the upper Tautri Creek Sub-basin (mapsheet number 93B.108). The area was a large wetland with two stacked round culverts. Further assessment should be done at this site, as a bridge may be recommended due to the size of the wetland.

 

4. Sites of No Concern

There were seven culverts where no concerns regarding fish passage were noted (sites 4, 6, 9, 17, 27, 32 and 39). None of these sites appeared to be barriers to fish migration; however, they did not necessarily conform to FPCI guidelines. Fish were found at sites 4, 6, 9 and 17.

Site 4 was located on 5600 Road at a crossing on the Snaking River. The stream had a wetted width of 3.62m and a bankfull width of 5.71m. The water and bankfull depths were 29cm and 141cm respectively. The stream gradient was 4% and the water velocity was 0.22m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 22.3m and a diameter of 232cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.4m/s and the culvert water depth was 23cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 200cm deep pool. The photos for this site are Roll J1, #25, Roll J2, #1-4.

Site 6 was located on 5600 Road at a crossing on a tributary to the Snaking River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.5m and a bankfull width of 3.4m. The water and bankfull depths were 27cm and 94cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% and the water velocity was 0.13m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 14.2m and a diameter of 156cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.12m/s and the culvert water depth was 11cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into an 80cm deep pool. The photos for this site are Roll J2, #16-20.

Site 9 was located on 5100 Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 2.2m and a bankfull width of 3.5m. The water and bankfull depths were 14cm and 68cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2.5% and the water velocity was 0.2m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.4m and a diameter of 153cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.22m/s and the culvert water depth was 5cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 25cm deep pool. The photos for this site are Roll J3A, #14 and Roll J3B, #1-4.

Site 17 was located on 6000 Road at a crossing on a tributary of Wentworth Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 2.3m and a bankfull width of 2.4m. The water and bankfull depths were 16cm and 68cm respectively. The stream gradient was 3% and the water velocity was 0.07m/s. There was moderate sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. Rainbow trout were captured both above and below the culvert by electroshocking.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 14.2m and a diameter of 85cm. The slope of the culvert was 1%, the culvert water velocity was 0.69m/s and the culvert water depth was 4cm. The culvert outfall drop was 5cm into a 28cm deep pool. The photos for this site are Roll J5, #16-21.

Site 27 was located on 5800A Road at a crossing on a tributary of the Nazko River. The stream had a wetted width of 1.3m and a bankfull width of 2.9m. The water and bankfull depths were 8cm and 70cm respectively. The stream gradient was 1% and the water velocity was 0.11m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by electroshocking or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 12.2m and a diameter of 88cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.66m/s and the culvert water depth was 5cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 55cm deep pool. The photos for this site are Roll J8, #8-12.

Site 32 was located on 1300 Road at a crossing on a tributary of Tautri Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.5m and a bankfull width of 3.2m. The water and bankfull depths were 13cm and 56cm respectively. The stream gradient was 0.5% and the water velocity was 0.06m/s. There was no sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by seine nets or Gee minnow traps.

There were two side-by-side round corrugated steel culverts at this site. Culvert A had a length of 15.2m and a diameter of 60cm. The slope of the culvert was 0.5%, the culvert water velocity was 0.05m/s and the culvert water depth was 12cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 50cm deep pool. Culvert B had a length of 18.2m and a diameter of 60cm. The slope of the culvert was 1.5%, the water velocity was 0m/s and the culvert water depth was 0cm. The photos for this site are Roll J11, #1-5.

Site 39 was located on Alexis Lake Road at a crossing on Aneko Creek. The stream had a wetted width of 1.1m and a bankfull width of 2.8m. The water and bankfull depths were 30cm and 76cm respectively. The stream gradient was 2.5% and the water velocity was not measurable. There was moderate sediment input and no beaver activity in the area. No fish were captured either above or below the culvert by seine nets or Gee minnow traps.

There was a round corrugated steel culvert at this site, with a length of 10.3m and a diameter of 80cm. The slope of the culvert was 0%, the culvert water velocity was 0m/s and the culvert water depth was 20cm. The culvert outfall drop was 0cm into a 65cm deep pool. The photos for this site are Roll J12, #10-14.

6. Fish Distribution

 

1. Nazko River Sub-basin

Chinook spawning takes place in the mainstem up to Nazko Falls at the top of reach 9. The falls define the upper limit of anadromous fish distribution in the watershed. Rainbow trout have also been documented in the mainstem up to Nazko Lake (reach 20) and in the lower portion of Goering Creek. In addition, mountain whitefish and Kokanee have been documented in Rainbow Lake (reach 3).

There was an undetermined species of sucker found 7.2km upstream of Nazko Lake in the Nazko River at culvert site 36 during the Fish Passage – Culvert Inspection (FPCI) of the Nazko watershed. Mountain whitefish were also found 5.5km upstream in Ross Creek at culvert site 42.

Rainbow trout are documented in reaches 1 and 3, while no fish were caught at two sites in reach 4 (FISS, 1994; Imhof and Sutherland, 1996). No fish were caught by electrofishing during a fish inventory in an unnamed second order tributary (170-3243-725-151) in 1995 (Imhof and Sutherland, 1996).

During the FPCI of the Nazko watershed, rainbow trout were found 14.2km upstream in Aneko Creek at culvert site 40 (reach 4). The FPCI of the Nazko watershed could not rule out fish presence in the tributary.

In the Clisbako River, chinook spawning is documented to have taken place in reach 1, and rainbow trout have been identified within that reach. A falls at the upstream end of reach 4 was identified during a helicopter reconnaissance flight of the watershed in October 1996, and appears to be high enough (15m) to pose a barrier to fish migration. However, no further fish inventory has taken place upstream of the falls to determine if any resident fish are present. The upper portions of the stream have been identified as poor fish habitat with limited fish production potential due to the low gradient and lack of gravel in the bed material (DFO Stream Information Summary Maps, 1990; Rood and Hamilton, 1995; J. Quigley, pers. comm.).

During the FPCI of the Nazko watershed only one culvert site (site 49) was inspected in the Clisbako River sub-basin. This site was on McFarland Creek and no fish were found. Carmanah Research Ltd. conducted a Level 1 FHAP in September 1997 (in progress) on the Clisbako River sub-basin that will provide more fish information on this sub-basin.

Target fish species documented in the sub-basin are rainbow trout, Kokanee and mountain whitefish in Stump Lake (reach 2). No additional fish inventory data are available for the rest of the stream; however, reach 14 (21.1% slope) is likely a gradient barrier to fish migration.

During the FPCI of the Nazko watershed, rainbow trout were found 6.8km upstream of Michelle Creek in a tributary at culvert site 30 and mountain whitefish were found 8.2km upstream of Michelle Creek in a tributary at culvert site 31.

No target fish species have been identified in Redwater Creek in previous inventories of the stream; however, during the FPCI of the Nazko watershed mountain whitefish were found near Redwater Lake at culvert site 28.

According to the FISS (1994), target fish distribution in the Snaking River has been documented in the lower 19km of the stream. Chinook spawning takes place at the confluence of the Snaking and Nazko rivers, and chinook have been reported as far as 1.8km upstream of the mouth (reach 2). Rainbow trout have also been found up to 19km upstream (reach 3), and spawning takes place at the mouth of Udy Creek. There are no fish inventory data for the upper 30km of the Snaking River or its tributaries. DFO has commented on the limited fish production potential of the upper Snaking due to the low gradient, limited gravel deposits and an abundance of fines (DFO Stream Information Summary Maps, 1990; J. Quigley, pers. comm.).

The FPCI of the Nazko watershed found rainbow trout in the Snaking River, 34.5km upstream of the confluence with the Nazko River at culvert site 48. Rainbow trout were also found in the headwaters of Udy Creek at culvert sites 44 and 48, 7.2km above Wutlus Lake in Axe Creek at culvert site 11, and in the headwater tributaries of the Snaking River sub-basin at culvert sites 5, 6 and 43.

Rainbow trout have been documented throughout the Wentworth Creek sub-basin. Their presence has been established in reaches 1 and 6, and in Wentworth Lake. Rainbow trout spawning also takes place in reach 6 and tributary 170-3243-477-732 for 2km upstream to a smaller lake, in which rainbow trout presence is also documented.

The FPCI of the Nazko watershed confirmed the documented fish distribution in the Wentworth Creek sub-basin. Rainbow trout were found in Wentworth Creek, 2km upstream of Wentworth Lake at culvert site 17 and in the tributary 170-3243-477-732, 1.2km upstream of Wentworth Lake at culvert site 16.

On the mainstem of Tautri Creek, no target fish species have been found during fish inventories, however, suckers are present. Rainbow trout have been stocked in Palmer Lake (B.C. Environment, Release Records Database), and have also been captured in tributary 170-3243-654-522; rainbow trout spawning takes place immediately below the outlet of Palmer Lake. Rainbow trout have been caught in Mackill Lake (170-3243-654-522-818) and are documented to spawn in the tributary entering Palmer Lake (170-3243-654-522-654). Due to the presence of rainbow trout throughout tributary 170-3243-654-522, it is likely that they are also present in the Tautri Creek mainstem despite their absence during previous inventories.

The FPCI found mountain whitefish in tributary 170-3243-654-522. The mountain whitefish were captured 3.4km upstream of the confluence with Tautri Creek at culvert site 33. The FPCI also confirmed the presence of rainbow trout in tributary 170-3243-654-522-654. Mountain whitefish were found in the headwaters of Johnny Sam Creek (170-3243-654-306) at culvert site 22.

No target fish species were captured in reaches 4 and 10 during fisheries inventory of Brown Creek. However, rainbow trout were documented in two lakes on tributary 170-3243-704-227 (FISS, 1994; Imhof and Sutherland, 1996). Rainbow trout have been stocked in Bishop Lake (reach 7) (B.C. Environment, Release Records Database) and have also been captured in one of the lower lakes near the mouth (reach 3).

During the FPCI, no fish sampling was conducted, so fish distribution in the Brown Creek sub-basin can not be confirmed or denied.

A summary of the recommended remediation prescriptions for each of the culvert crossings inspected during the FPCI of the Nazko watershed is located in Table 2. A total of 244 crossings were visited, of which 49, or approximately 20% were culverts. There were 19 sites that were designated as high priority, all of which were barriers to fish passage. The culverts at these sites should be replaced with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the bankfull width of the stream. The total length of creek upstream of high priority sites was 136.52km, an average of 7.2km per culvert. There were five sites that were designated as moderate priority, of which three were partial barriers. The culverts at each of these sites should be replaced with a crossing structure of suitable size and type for the bankfull width of the stream. The total length of creek upstream of moderate priority sites was 81.27km, an average of 16.3km per culvert.

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