development of a bulk gravel loading strategy for elk...

Development of a bulk gravel loading strategy for

Elk Falls Canyon

Report Prepared for

BC Hydro Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program Coastal Region

FWCP project # 13.CBR.02

By

Kevin Pellett BC Conservation Foundation

Lantzville, BC October 2014

Executive Summary Spawning gravel has been periodically added to the Elk Falls Canyon reach of the Campbell River since 1999 with a heavy lift helicopter. The proposed construction of a pedestrian suspension bridge across the Campbell River as viewing platform for Elk Falls has diminished the potential to continue gravel placements with a helicopter. BCCF was approached by the Campbell River Rotary Club (proponent of suspension bridge) to discuss alternative methods to accommodate fish habitat restoration activities in conjunction with bridge construction. Financial support from FWCP was requested to work with professionals involved in the bridge project to develop an alternative gravel delivery system.

Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 4

Goals and Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 4

Study Area ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 6

Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 6

Discussion...................................................................................................................................................... 6

Recommendations ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 7

References .................................................................................................................................................... 7

APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................................................... 8

APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................................................. 10

APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................................................. 13

APPENDIX D ................................................................................................................................................. 14

List of Figures Figure 1. Proposed location of suspension bridge (black lines) in Elk Falls Canyon relative to Elk Falls

plunge pool (center), the penstocks (right) and gravel pad (yellow) ........................................................... 5

Development of a bulk gravel loading strategy for Elk Falls Canyon

The British Columbia Conservation Foundation 4

Introduction Spawning gravel has been applied to the Elk Falls canyon reach of the Campbell River five times since 2002 via heavy lift helicopter. Although each project achieved target loading quantities, project cost per unit was high compared to other means of delivery. Bulk loading options were briefly explored under a BC Hydro funded project titled "Campbell River (Elk Falls) canyon spawning gravel placement - feasibility of a land based conveyance system" (McCulloch and Silvestri, 2006). This report identified two potential delivery options based on cost and impacts to the park; however, neither option was further developed at the time. The addition of spawning gravel is necessary in order to ensure high quality habitat is available to anadromous salmonids in the presence of Hydro operations. Periodic spills from John Hart Dam have been known to scour and displace gravel within Elk Falls Canyon reducing the overall productivity of the reach. Gravel additions to date have been conducted on an as-needed basis with early placements creating high quality habitats and later placements as maintenance. There is also evidence that gravel has been transported downstream to areas outside of the enhancement area resulting in additional habitat creation. Utilization of upstream gravel pads has been high with benefits to multiple species including Chinook, Coho, Chum and Steelhead (Pellett, 2012). Recently, a project proposed by the Campbell River Rotary Club to construct a suspension bridge across

Elk Falls Canyon has renewed discussions about a bulk loading option as helicopter access to the site

could be affected. This project will operate in parallel with bridge construction to incorporate a bulk

loading option into the initial design that will not increase the incremental impact to the park. The final

outcome will be to increase the efficiency of delivering spawning gravel to the canyon, while

maintaining access for such restoration activities which may be compromised otherwise.

Goals and Objectives This project is part of a multi-staged approach to the construction and operation of a bulk gravel loading

system. Activities in year one covered by this project were to work with the suspension bridge team to

integrate a bulk gravel delivery system. The construction timelines for the bridge were uncertain at the

time of the proposal submission but the opportunity to construct a cost-effective system later could be

lost without early involvement.

Primary goals were to introduce the fisheries objectives to the bridge construction team (Campbell River

Rotary Club, BC Parks, Engineers, contractors) at an early stage so ways to integrate an effective system

into the final project could be identified. As options for a bulk delivery system were numerous, defining

the most effective and practical method was believed to be critical in order to advance the project to

completion.

Study Area The Campbell River flows east from Strathcona Park, entering Johnstone Strait at the town of Campbell

River. Draining 1,744 km2, the Campbell is Vancouver Island’s second largest watershed, having an

average annual reservoir flow of 87 m3/s at John Hart Dam and 103 m3/s in the town of Campbell River.



2.0 km of the Elk Falls canyon reach, located immediately upstream of the John Hart powerhouse

tailrace (JHT), is accessible to anadromous salmonids. The reach is characterized by an incised bedrock

canyon with relatively narrow channel widths and a distinct rapid-pool hydraulic character. Substrates

are typically very large as a result of historical high flows usually related to winter rain-on-snow events.

The 2 km-long canyon's fish production capacity was measurably increased by a negotiated minimum

conservation flow of 4 m3/s, augmented by seasonal "pulse flows" (i.e., up to 10 m3/s) for improved

migration and spawning habitat suitability (BC Hydro 2004). Adding quality gravel on a periodic basis

provides "value added" wild fish recruitment benefits that would otherwise not be achieved.

The proposed bulk loading site is located in the tailout of the Elk Falls plunge pool at the upper

anadromous limit for salmonids (Figure 1). Adding gravel at this location provides high quality spawning

habitat immediately below a natural barrier which tends to concentrate fish while providing a maximum

opportunity for gravel to recruit to downstream habitats.

Figure 1. Proposed location of suspension bridge (black lines) in Elk Falls Canyon relative to Elk Falls plunge pool (center), the penstocks (right) and gravel pad (yellow).



Methods The majority of this project involved meetings and phone conversations to discuss potential options and

feasibility issues. No on the ground construction occurred with these funds.

Results The first on-site meeting occurred on October 8, 2013 at Elk Falls Park. Lorrie Bewza from the Campbell

River Rotary Club (suspension bridge proponent) and Mark DeGagne from McElhanney Engineering

attended while Brent Blackmun from BC Parks was also in the area. The majority of the early

discussions revolved around the alignment of a delivery system relative to the suspension bridge layout

and exact location where the gravel was required. Based on the topography of the site and access it

was determined that an independent system (i.e. no attached to the bridge) would be required.

The ability to deliver gravel to the rim of the canyon prior to installation was also a primary concern.

Trail upgrades and conditions were discussed and it was determined that heavy equipment was not

going to be accessing the south rim of the canyon during bridge construction and road upgrades would

be minimal. However, trails from the new parking lot will be wheel chair accessible which means

shallow slopes. Small equipment such as a “Bobcat” was suggested as a practical means for

transporting gravel from a staging area (parking lot) to the delivery system on the Canyon rim while

using the exiting trail system.

Given the relatively small payload of the small equipment (~0.3 – 0.5 m3), it was determined that the

gravel conveyance system could be of a similar scale such that a round trip for delivery from the staging

area to the canyon rim would match the time to deliver gravel from the rim to the river bed.

An overhead cable with a dumping bucket was identified as the most practical way to transport gravel

from the Canyon rim to the river. A preliminary alignment was discussed with Herold Engineering who

was working with the successful bridge contractor on design. At this phase of the FWCP project it was

determined that the remainder of the budget was better spent on further developing the specifications

for the gravel conveyance system through Herold Engineering. A request to re-allocate approximately

$5,000 of the budget was submitted to Patrice Rother from BC Hydro and approved on February 7,

2014.

A meeting with engineer Matt Seyd from Herold Engineering was held to review and discuss the gravel

delivery system. The product was to be a preliminary engineered drawing of the system and

specifications such that a proposal to complete the system could be developed. At this point timelines

were closing in on fiscal constraints of the FWCP funding and bridge construction. It was recognized

that construction would likely occur between funding applications so an effort was made to stay in

touch with the construction team.

Discussion The receipt of engineered drawings (Appendix D) were delayed until October 1, 2014 which prevented

the production of the final report for year 1 activities. A proposal for funding from the Department of

Fisheries and Oceans Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program (DFO-RFCPP) was

submitted in September of 2014 to assist with the construction of the gravel delivery system. A similar

proposal will be submitted to FWCP in the fall of 2014 to complete the system in 2015/16 in conjunction

with RFCPP funding.



Recommendations The timelines for this project aligned poorly with the bridge construction schedule resulting in a severely

overdue final report. It is recommended that more attention is given to identifying realistic timelines for

such projects as they are often behind schedule. In this case, dividing the project into two years of

feasibility work would have allowed for shifting timelines across fiscal periods.

Acknowledgements I would like to thank Lorrie Bewza for his time and willingness to accommodate fisheries concerns with

the suspension bridge project.

References Pellett, K. 2012. Campbell River (Elk Falls) canyon spawning gravel placement, 2011. FWCP Coastal

Project Number 11.CBR.05. Prepared for BC Hydro’s Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program – Coastal

Region, The Campbell River Salmon Foundation and the Living Rivers-Georgia Basin/Vancouver Island

program. BC Conservation Foundation, Nanaimo, BC. 8 p. plus appendices.

McCulloch, M.P. and S. Silvestri. 2006. Campbell River (Elk Falls) canyon spawning gravel placement –

feasibility of a land based conveyance system. BCRP Project 05.CA.08. Prepared for BC Hydro Bridge

Coastal Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program, Burnaby, B.C. 9 pp plus appendices.

8

APPENDIX A Financial Statement

9

Project # 13.CBR.02

Financial Statement Form

BUDGET ACTUAL

BCRP Other BCRP Other

INCOME

Total Income by Source 9,782.03 0.00 7,305.40 0.00

Grand Total Income

(BCRP + other) 9,782.03 7,305.40

EXPENSES

Labour

Project Coordination 1,632.00 0.00 258.93

Meetings, site visits 4,080.00 1,169.07

conceptual design, reporting 1,632.00 193.95

Sub-Contractors 0.00 4,761.90

GST 0.00 238.10

Materials and Equipment

Field Package 125.00 0.00

Mileage 960.00 0.00 156.00

Meals 63.75 0.00

Saftey 100.00 0.00

Reporting 200.00 0.00

Communications 100.00 0.00

Administration

BCCF admin @ 10% 889.28 0.00 646.50

Tax credit (50% GST) -119.05

Total Expenses 9,782.03 0.00 7,305.40

Grand Total Expenses

(FWCP+other) 9,782.03 7,305.40

BALANCE (Grand Total Income - Grand Total Expenses) 2,476.63

10

APPENDIX B Performance Measures – Actual Outcomes

11

Performance Measures

Performance Measures - Target Outcomes

Project Type Primary Habitat Benefit Targeted of

Project (m2)

Primary

Target

Species

Habitat (m2)

Estu

arin

e

In-S

trea

m

Hab

itat

-

Mai

nst

ream

In

-Str

eam

Hab

itat

-

Trib

uta

ry

Rip

aria

n

Res

erv

oir

Sho

relin

e

Co

mp

lexe

s R

iver

ine

Low

lan

d

Dec

idu

ou

s

Low

lan

d

Co

nif

ero

us

Up

lan

d

We

tlan

d

Impact Mitigation

Fish passage technologies Area target species Habitat

Drawdown zone

revegetation /

stabilization

Area turned into productive habitat

Wildlife migration

improvement

Area of habitat made available to

target species

Prevention of drowning

of nests, nestlings

Area of wetland habitat created

outside expected flood level (1:10

year)

Habitat Conservation

Habitat conserved –

general

Functional habitat

conserved/replaced through

acquisition and mgmt

Functional habitat conserved by

other measures (e.g. riprapping)

Designated rare/special

habitat Rare/special habitat protected

12

Maintain or Restore Habitat forming process

Artificial gravel

recruitment

Area of stream habitat improved by

gravel plcmt

Artificial wood debris

recruitment

Area of stream habitat improved by

LWD plcmt

Small-scale complexing in

existing habitats

Area increase in functional habitat

through complexing

Prescribed burns or other

upland habitat

enhancement for wildlife

Functional area of habitat improved

Habitat Development

New habitat created Functional area created

13

APPENDIX C Confirmation of FWCP Recognition

14

APPENDIX D Preliminary Engineering Design

development of a bulk gravel loading strategy for elk...

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