Tod Flats

Tod Creek Flats Restoration Project – 2015-16 RFCPP Final Report Narrative

Ian Bruce, R.P.Bio.

Project Manager

June 18, 2016

Overview & Summary

Tod Creek drains a 23 km² watershed located in the District of Saanich, near Victoria, B.C. Anadromous salmon have had extreme difficulty passing by the Tod Creek dam since the 1930’s but fish passage was re-established by the dam owner in Sept. 2015. Tod Creek Flats is a floodplain that conveys Tod Creek through seasonally cultivated agricultural lands via a confined and ditched watercourse.

The main objective of the Tod Creek Flats Restoration Project was to increase salmonid habitat in the Tod Creek Watershed by restoring stream-like habitat within the Tod Creek Flats and providing “escape” channels for salmonids that annually get trapped there by floodwaters. Historically, this area supported coho salmon and was a productive sea-run cutthroat salmon system. Physical restoration of the floodplain and hydraulic connectivity to the stream channel is expected to increase available salmonid habitat and literally save fish, thereby increasing production.

The preferred outcome of the Tod Creek Flats Integrated Management Plan (2009) and the original plan of the RFCPP grant was to construct a new channel on ALR farmland west of the existing Tod Creek channel. However, after survey and inspection in May 2015, a hydrological and engineering feasibility study determined that while it was technically feasible to build, it would be fraught with operational and long-term maintenance issues due to the extremely low gradient over the 1500 metres (i.e., less than 0.05%).

Subsequently the Peninsula Streams Society (PSS) project team: a PhD wetland specialist, two senior consulting biologists, a hydrologist and a civil engineer, found an alternative means to improve and restore stream-like habitat to the Tod Creek Flats and protect fish populations. Along with neighbours’ observations, the team determined that annual pumping of the farm fields and following high-water conditions resulted in hundreds of resident cutthroat salmon becoming stranded; suffering predation or suffocation in the declining waters. Accordingly the PSS team pursued a project on the flats to increase/improve fish habitat, be compliant with Saanich’s floodplain requirements, and provide opportunities for farming while preventing fish from being stranded.

By August 1, 2015, the Flats had not drained despite serious drought conditions (Photo 1). Pumping began August 5 but the channel blockages downstream of the Flats required removal to facilitate water flow. Downstream of the flats, from Willis Point Road to the Red Barn Market (Photos 2&3), the project widened the channel and re-established the channel invert through the removal of reed canary grass, old beaver dams and small debris jams. However, starting late August, a 100 mm rain event over 10 days re-flooded the pumped –down Flats. Therefore an excavator was used to cut a channel into the north end of the Flats to release the water into the newly cleared channel downstream. As well, the field crew worked with property owners downstream of Willis Point Road for 3 km to remove beaver and debris jams.

A clay berm was created between the Flats and the old channel to provide a stable platform for machinery to widen and deepen the Flats section of the creek. A new fish return channel with culvert was created at the north end where the water release channel had been excavated (Photos 4 & 5) and another culvert was installed at the already existing south channel (Photos 6 & 7). Existing riparian vegetation was left intact wherever possible and riparian restoration work was undertaken along the banks of the stream and the north channel.

The major fall rains arrived in late October and work ceased on the Flats as water levels began to rise. The excavate from the Flats section of the creek was not spread out onto the fields as planned due to the high water table. As well, the last 25 metres of berm immediately to the north of the south culvert was not completed to grade before the decision to pull the excavator out was made.

Significant monitoring efforts of the performance began immediately with observations of flows downstream. A pressure data logger and staff gauge were installed on the Flats on January 9, 2016 to accompany data loggers previously installed upstream of the Flats at Hartland Rd. and downstream of the Flats at Durrance Road on February 9, 2015. On February 3^rd, 500 coho pre-smolts from Goldstream Hatchery were released onto the Flats to test the return channels and culverts. These were part of a 4,500 coho release to ‘kick-off’ coho enhancement in Tod Watershed.

Access to the culverts was poor because of the lack of final excavator cleanup work so the smolt traps were not installed until March 25^th. Fish trapping was halted April 6^th due to low water. However, both coho smolts and wild cutthroat were trapped leaving the Flats through the culverts, thus establishing project success (Photos 8&9).

Riparian planting began in earnest in late October but we had some problems with Canada geese and beavers cropping grasses and trees respectively (Photo 10&11).

Work on signage came in two phases – the first two signs were installed before March 31^st 2016 under approval by DFO staff (Photos 12a,b, 13a,b). Two larger signs were design by volunteers and will be installed in summer 2016 by District of Saanich staff (Photos 14,15).

Activity 1: Survey Project Area

We were successful in acquiring the necessary survey information to undertake the project. We reviewed existing technical reports and topographical contour data provided by the District of Saanich (DoS). We undertook an aerial inspection of the site in August 2015 to gauge the extent of flooding even in the drought. We undertook field surveys and data collection on the Tod Creek Flats to inform the final designs of our project, including a rare plant survey (attached). The Saanich LIDAR data was validated and we developed a conceptual plan and designed the layout for the expanded stream channel and channel restoration, applying for and receiving a Fill Permit from DoS. This provided the understanding to undertake grade reduction and channel expansion downstream of the Flats, and berm construction, fish return channel installation and creek widening along the Flats section of Tod Creek.

Deliverables to provide to DFO:

– Copy of the site survey information & reports (attached)

– Long Sections Revised Sept 22 15.pdf

– Revised Cross Sections Sept 22 15.pdf

– Revised Site Plan Sept 22 15.pdf

– TODSurveyBefore.pdf

– WCT-1972-ProfileTodCrk.pdf

– Rare plants survey ‘Tod Creek Flats Rare Plants survey JMiskelly.doc’

Photo 1: Tod Creek Flats – August 1, 2015

Activity 2: Instream Restoration

We were successful in removing channel blockages (reed canary grass, beaver and small debris jams) and re-establishing channel grade bottom to surveyed elevation along 425 meters of the Tod Creek channel, from Willis Point Road to the south end of the Reslein property (north end of the Flats). Excavators cleared the existing ditched channel of Tod Creek, removing reed canary grass, accumulated sediment, beaver dam material and small debris (Photos 2&3). Organic material was then spread on the fields next to the stream. In total, we added 1805m² of creek surface area along the 655m channel expansion length. We established floodplain ingress and egress for both stormwater and fish through installation of culverts at two sites (north and south). Channel clearance activities extended 3 km downstream of Willis Point road leading to what was observed to be the best drainage experience in over 30 years.

Temporary access crossing over Tod Creek allowed us to undertake activities on the north end of the Flats. Erosion and sediment control measures were implemented to minimize disturbance during the project. An excavator was used to widen Tod Creek stream channel by up to 5 metres by pulling excavated material to the west of an access berm created by compacting clean brown clay. The berm will control water and fish passage onto and off of the Flats. Existing riparian vegetation was left intact as much as possible. Two culverts were installed perpendicular to Tod Creek and 90 meters apart to serve as fish/stormwater ingress/egress channels.

Photo 2- Channel expansion – Before

Photo 3- Channel Expansion – After

Photo 4: North Culvert Installation – Before Photo 5: North Culvert Installation – After

Photo 6: South Culvert Installation – Before Photo 7: South Culvert Installation – After

Smolt Traps

Two smolt traps were installed at Tod Creek flats – one at the north culvert on March 25^th, 2016 and at the south culvert on March 26^th, 2016. The traps successfully caught cutthroat salmon, validating the necessity of this project.

Photo 8: Cutthroat salmon (Onchorhynchus clarkii clarkii) caught in smolt trap at the north culvert on 29-Mar-16

Photo 9: Checking the north culvert smolt trap for fish.

Deliverables to provide to DFO:

– FIELD SKETCH, OCTOBER 16, 2015.pdf

Activity 3: Riparian Restoration

The project helped stabilize the stream banks through infill planting and new riparian planting along the Tod Creek mainstem (Photo 10&11). Existing riparian vegetation was retained along Tod Creek as much as possible. Other areas disturbed during construction were infill planted; as were other areas that lacked vegetation. Appropriate native riparian species were utilized: 2000 native riparian plants including wetland and upland species (red osier dogwood, willows, etc.), were planted along 655 linear meters of stream channel. Planting involved 164 hours of volunteer time over the course of three days in October/November 2015, with up to 30 volunteers per day.

Photo 10 – Riparian Restoration – Before

Photo 11 – Riparian Restoration – After

Activity 4: Project Management and Coordination

The design and layout were developed as the project unfolded by Project Manager/Biologist, Ian Bruce R.P.Bio and site engineer Peter Stepaniuk, P.Eng. Ian Bruce was responsible for project management, oversight and coordination services regarding the implementation of the project. Peter Stepaniuk provided advice and direction on equipment types and management, materials selection and sourcing and grade/elevation control.

Grant MacPherson was the site supervisor/First aid attendant who also provided environmental monitoring and technical support. Equipment contracting services and site materials were procured from Scansa Construction. Transportation costs to and from the site were supplied for project management and coordination as well as for volunteers implementing project work. Final reports were completed and submitted for construction and post-construction which included photo log of project activities. Schedule 7 of the CA report was prepared with receipts and deliverables.

Deliverables to provide to DFO:

– Copy of the final site plans and final on-site project reports.

– Plan Profile Tod Creek2016AsBuilt2.pdf

– TOD CREEK ASBUILT – OCTOBER 29, 2015 .PDF

– Tod Creek Enhancement Project 2016-17 Application Report.pdf

Activity 5: Signage

Work on signage came in two phases – the first two signs were installed before March 31^st 2016 under approval by DFO staff (Photos 12a,b, 13a,b). Two large-format interpretive signs were designed by volunteers and will be installed in summer 2016 by DoS staff (Photos 14,15).

Deliverables to provide to DFO:

– TOD FLATS – HISTORY5.jpg

– TOD FLATS – InterpretiveSign-Stewardship.jpg

– IMG_0031.JPG

– IMG_0036.JPG

Photos 12a,b: RFCPP Signage