Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek, and Hewitt's Creek Subwatershed Plan

The Barrie Creeks, Lovers Creek and Hewitt’s Creek Subwatershed Plan
apparent absence of fish beyond the third site upstream. Sites with bank hardening and
channelization are mainly found on the lower reach of the main tributary, near the mouth, and at
the confluence of the main branch and the eastern tributary (Figure 5-9). While the creek still
has cold water attributes, the recording of cool water temperatures at four of the five sites with
temperature loggers suggests there may be thermal degradation occurring within this system
(Figure 5-13).
Overall, aquatic communities are relatively unstressed near the mouth as cold water indicator
species are present and are likely successfully spawning and surviving. Further upstream
though, conditions decline for fish communities until the headwaters where there are no fish
species present. The indices for benthic invertebrates show fairly significant organic pollution at
the headwater sites, indicating the SWM pond that the headwaters are located in may be
adversely impacting the system.
5.4.2 Lovers Creek subwatershed
Lovers Creek subwatershed has one
main cold water tributary with a total of
26 monitoring sites located along the
main branch and along smaller
branches. The headwaters of the creek
are in organic soils with high infiltration
rates, flowing down into silty clay loam
(slow infiltration rates) and more
organics (moderate infiltration rates).
The lower third of the creek to the
mouth flows through sandy loam with
moderate infiltration rates. Adjacent
soils include loamy sand and gravelly
sandy loam with moderate to high
infiltration rates. There are a few small
Lovers Creek
potential recharge areas along the
centre of the creek and large potential discharge areas at the headwaters, mid reach and
smaller amounts all along the lower reach to the mouth. Land use along almost the entire creek
is natural heritage cover. Surrounding the natural heritage cover that borders the creek is rural
and agricultural land cover from the headwaters to almost 2/3 rd s of the way downstream and
urban land near the mouth of the creek.
No fish were captured at four of the monitoring sites. These sites are all located along western
branches of the main tributary. There are two dams downstream of one of these sites,
potentially stopping any fish from passing. Despite recorded warm water temperatures at some
sites, coldwater species have been found at 16 of the sites from the mouth to the headwaters,
while only warm water species were captured at the remaining six sites (Figure 5-2).
Historically, brook trout have been captured all along Lovers Creek and a number of its
tributaries. Current data shows that, for the most part, brook trout occupy the same habitats with
a few exceptions. They are not currently found as far up the western section of the headwaters
and not as far up the western branch which has the two dams. As they are still found at the site
below the dams, it is possible the dams now block off potential brook trout habitat (Figure 5-4).
Mottled sculpin have been found up much of the creek in the past and current data shows they
have expanded their range further upstream into the headwaters (Figure 5-5). Analyses of the
fish communities (IBI) showed five sites with poor ratings, four with good (mainly on the western
Chapter 5: Aquatic Natural Heritage 245