Clayton Falls Project Water Use Plan Aquatic - BC Hydro

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Reach 1 Reach 2 Site Cf2 Reach 3 Site Cf1 Reach 3 Waterfall Figure 1: Clayton Creek Stream Reaches & Major Features (BC Hydro, 2003).
Clayton Falls WUP Aquatic Productivity Monitoring Program – Year 1, 2005 Further stated in the WUP, effective habitat is that which remains stable, productive and/or viable for the duration of a species life history. From a water use planning perspective, such habitats are considered variable to flow changes. There are different requirements that define effectiveness of habitat depending on the species and life history using the habitat. As Clayton Creek Facility is a run-of the-river facility, BC Hydro is less able to control high flows and is therefore more concerned with low flow events, particularly during winter months (November through March) when there is control over inflows, and during which period salmonids require effective habitat for over wintering. Table 1 shows periodicity of key life stages of salmonids in Clayton Creek (BC Hydro, 2003). Table 1. Periodicity of key life stages of salmonids in Clayton Creek. Spawning Pink Salmon Incubation Outmigration Spawning Chum Salmon Incubation Outmigration Coho Salmon Foraging Dolly Varden Foraging Rainbow Foraging Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1.2 Implementing Proposed Aquatic Productivity Monitoring In September 2005 Kynoch Resources began a four-year period of aquatic monitoring to determine low flow effects within Reach 2 of Clayton Creek. The initial program was designed to collect baseline fish and invertebrate population structure and distribution data for Reach 2 of Clayton Creek (the 51 m section of stream below the waterfall). This was to be followed by monitoring with the minimum treatment flow to demonstrate the benefits of providing a continuous year-round flow to the mainstem channel. Results of this monitoring were expected to provide the rationale for continuing or increasing the currently agreed minimum flow above zero release. The primary hypothesis to be tested was: determine if an increase of 0.05 m 3 /s through dam releases combined with the estimated 0.05 m 3 /s natural stream inflow and dam leakage (resulting in a total combined minimum discharge of 0.10 m 3 /s) will alter or restore the productive capacity of the lower Clayton Falls Creek (BC Hydro, 2003). This was to be achieved through implementation of an aquatic productivity monitoring program consisting of three main components to be assessed (as described in the Terms of Reference, BC Hydro, 2005), including: 1. Physical habitat and site selection; 2. Fish species composition and abundance monitoring; and, 3. Benthic invertebrate composition and abundance monitoring. An additional stream snorkelling component was added during 2005 implementation to supplement fish collection information. Kynoch Resources 2
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Clayton Falls Project Water Use Plan Aquatic - BC Hydro

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