Falls River Project Water Use Plan Falls River Fish ... - BC Hydro

Falls River WUP Monitoring 2008/2009
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Site location and Survey timing
Figure 10 provides an overview map of incubation areas 1, 2 and control and sample
site/piezometer marker locations. Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates for sample site
locations are presented in Table 4.
Table 4: UTMs for sample site locations along right bank of tailpond (see Figure 10 for overview location)
Area Sample site Date UTMs
1 A 27-Oct-08 9 451879 5981734
1 B 27-Oct-08 9 451879 5981734
1 C 27-Oct-08 9 451879 5981734
2 D 27-Oct-08 9 451877 5981735
2 E 27-Oct-08 9 451867 5981737
2 F 27-Oct-08 9 451867 5981737
2 G 27-Oct-08 9 451867 5981737
2 H 23-Sep-08 9 451867 5981737
control X 23-Sep-08 9 451858 5981740
In order to predict Chinook hatch and emergence timing during year 2 of the study, water
temperature data (available from September 23, 2008 to May 15, 2009), were converted into
accumulated thermal units (ATUs), where one degree Celsius in one day is equal to one ATU. The
15 minute interval temperature dataset was averaged over one day, and ATUs were calculated.
Based on a periodicity review conducted in 2007 (CGL and Metlakatla Fisheries 2007), where peak
Chinook salmon spawning was estimated to occur in late August and early September. Figure 9
shows the calculated ATUs and dates expected for hatch and emergence stages for incubating
Chinook eggs (will be installed at the eyed stage of development – see section 4.0) over a three
week period initiating on September 23 rd . A three week window was used in order to buffer for a
range of spawning timing as well as expected changes in water temperature for 2009/2010 in
relation to 2008/2009 temperatures. All estimated eyed, hatch and emergence stage timing is based
on ATU data for Chinook salmon from DFO (DFO 2003).
Cambria Gordon and Metlakata Fisheries 16