DONATE

Peach Creek & Vedder River Floodplain

Together, we can make a difference

Peach Creek & Hooge Wetland Restoration Project

photo credit: FVWC
description: Hooge wetland created in 2019 as an extension of Peach Creek to promote juvenile salmon rearing and overwintering. 

Purpose

This project is a collaborative effort to enhance, restore, and promote shared conservation values in the Vedder River Watershed. The project will enhance and restore off-channel adult salmon spawning and juvenile salmon overwintering and rearing habitat in the Vedder River watershed located in the Fraser Valley, BC.

This project is also part of a larger scope to re-water the Vedder River floodplain. Rivers and other waterbodies are part of a larger floodplain; floodplains are also where humans tend to live as there is access to water and nutrient rich soil for growing food. The Vedder River floodplain has been constricted by dykes put in place to protect human activities.

Think of the Vedder River as a garden hose. Constricted rivers are typically fast flowing and there's not a lot of space for diverse habitat. Historically, secondary set back dykes were created which now provide space to safely create streams and wetlands between the dyke systems which will support slower moving water and habitat and pose little to no risk to human activities (i.e. the dyke systems can remain intact while off-channel streams and wetlands are created). This helps restore floodplain ecology and absorb river overflow by acting as a sponge for extra flood mitigation.

Background

This watershed has high recreational fisheries value and is known for its year-round world-class fishing opportunities. However, Vedder River/Chilliwack River lacks off-channel habitat, which can limit spawning, rearing, and overwintering opportunities for salmonids in this system. Development-related alterations of salmonid habitat, encroachment of non-native plant species into riparian areas and loss of floodplain functions following diking have further decreased salmon habitat in the watershed. 

The goal of this project was to create and enhance off-channel habitat for salmon spawning, rearing, and overwintering in the Vedder River floodplain and engage the community in project importance and awareness of watershed issues. Restoration efforts targeted Peach Creek along the right bank of the Vedder River floodplain. Prior to restoration Peach Creek was an unconnected side channel of the Vedder River fed by ground water. Work included improving salmon access to Peach Creek as an off-channel, and extending the Peach Creek channel upstream for adult salmon spawning and downstream, connecting Peach Creek to the Vedder River and creating rearing and overwintering habitat for juvenile salmon. 

1 . Peach Creek channel extension and outlet channel downstream to Vedder River.
2 . Hooge wetland created for rearing and overwintering salmon habitat. It was constructed as a side channel of Peach Creek.
3 . Peach Creek - extended  groundwater salmon spawning channel.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

2017-2022 Summary of Activities

1.  Digging In - Creating the Off-Channel Habitats                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

photo credit: FVWC
description: construction of the Peach Creak groundwater extension channel, extending Peach Creek upstream creating more off-channel habitat for salmon spawning.                                                    

photo credit: FVWC
description: Construction of Hooge wetland, an off-channel extension of Peach Creek to create salmon rearing and overwintering habitat.                                                                                                                                                           

photo credit: FVWC
description: Outlet culvert connecting Peach Creek to the Vedder River and the construction of a berm and small weir to improve fish passage.                                                                                                                                                              

Summary of Activities

  • In 2017, the Peach Creek groundwater extension channel was extended upstream from Peach Ponds to add an additional 312 m of habitat intended for salmon spawning. This phase was required as a first step because extending the groundwater channel created the hydrologic pressure needed to provide enough flow for the downstream portion of the project where Peach Creek connects to the Vedder River.

    • left over gravel from constructing the Peach Creek groundwater extension channel was relocated to Foley Creek, adding approximately 800 m2 of spawning gravel to the creek!

  • In 2018, 960 m (almost 1 km!) of new instream habitat was constructed downstream from the Hooge Rd parking lot, through McFaden Pond, and out to the Vedder River. 40 pieces of large wood were added to the channel to add complexity. Through this new channel creation, Salwein Creek was also connected, increasing the aquatic connectivity and habitat for the Salish Sucker. 
     
    • habitat complexity adds more habitat types for more wildlife to call home. Large wood, for example, provides shaded areas for fish to hide from predators and the midday sun and it creates pockets of slower moving water for fish to rest from high flows. 

  • Remember the upstream groundwater extension channel? In 2019, the Peach Creek groundwater extension channel was extended, adding another 275 m of spawning habitat!

  • Additionally, in 2019 an off-channel pond was constructed creating approximately 2000 m2 of habitat. That's equivalent to the size of a hockey rink! Large wood and root wads were added to the pond to add habitat complexity to support salmon rearing and overwintering. We call this pond Hooge wetland because it is upstream of the Hooge Rd parking lot. 

2. Monitoring - Taking "Nature's Pulse"                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

photo credit: Fishing with Rod
description: FVWC team measures length and records the weight of juvenile salmonids caught with minnow traps in Peach Creek.                                                                                                                                                               

photo credit: Fishing with Rod
description: A juvenile rainbow trout captured and recorded by FVWC during fish and water quality monitoring in Peach Creek.                                                                                                                                                      

Summary of Activities

  • Monitoring is like taking nature's pulse; it's essentially measuring how "alive" an area is.

  • Monitoring for fish and water quality is an important aspect of this project.
     
    • monitoring for fish shows what species, if any, are using different areas of the channel and wetland,

    • and monitoring for water quality shows if the aquatic conditions are suitable for salmonids, and other aquatic species, to complete their different life-stages. 

 

  • Between February 2019 and March 2020, fish monitoring using minnow traps caught a total of 319 fish, 169 of which were Coho salmon!

  • 5 different species were found all native to BC:

    • 2 salmonid species were Coho salmon and rainbow trout,

    • and the other 3 species were three-spined stickleback, northern pikeminnow, and prickly sculpin.

3. Riparian Planting, Bioengineering, and Invasive Plant Control                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

photo credit: FVWC
description: Community planting event in Fall 2019 adding native trees and shrubs to the riparian area surrounding the newly constructed Hooge wetland.                                                                                                                                                 

photo credit: FVWC
description: FVWC team guards live-staked willow and cotton wood branches from beaver herbivory at Hooge wetland.                                                                                                                                                 

photo credit: FVWC
description: FVWC team digs out invasive species from the riparian area of Peach Creek and Hooge wetland.                                                                                                                                     

Summary of Activities

  • With the help of over 500 community volunteers the riparian area of Peach Creek and Hooge Wetland has been planted with over 16,000 native trees and shrubs between 2018 and today.

  • Removing invasive species has been an important aspect of site preparation for planting native species and maintaining planting areas.
     
    • almost 1,000 kg of invasive Himalayan balsam was removed; almost equivalent to the weight of 2 polar bears!

    • before construction began invasive Japanese knotweed was identified at sections along Peach Creek and the Vedder River. With support from the City of Chilliwack, these sections were mapped and treated to ensure the knotweed was not spread with construction. 

  • Willow, dogwood, cottonwood, hardhack, and snowberry branches and stems were harvested and pushed into the ground on the slopes of the Peach Creek channel and Hooge Wetland as a method of bioengineering.

    • adding stakes of these fast growing and tolerant species not only provides the benefits of native plants to wildlife, but the roots also help to stabilize the slopes to prevent soil erosion and help to retain soil moisture. 

 

 

 

CREATING WETLANDS FOR SALMON AND STEELHEAD - Peach Wetlands Tree Planting | Fishing with Rod
Buying Insurance Policy for Our Salmon - Restoring Critical Habitat | Fishing with Rod

2021 Atmospheric Rain Event & the value of wetlands 

In November 2021, three Atmospheric River Events resulted in unprecedented flooding and mudslides, devastating communities across B.C., and causing significant damage throughout the Eastern Fraser Valley. 

Upon reviewing and assessing the constructed off-channel habitats, including Hooge Wetland, Peach-Salwein and Browne Creek Wetland, FVWC noted that these restoration sites remained mostly in-tact, and provided space for the flood waters to spread out into. In addition, these habitats acted as the insurance policy for many aquatic fish species to use when the Vedder River was flowing at extremely high velocities. High velocity, turbid-laden waters can result in the flushing away of redds and salmon eggs, cause sediment and deposition that can smother eggs and otherwise creates an aquatic environment that causes stress on salmon and aquatic species. The off-channel habitats provided slower waters for these salmon to take refuge. While not originally designed to take the water velocities and volume that resulted from the November floods, these off-channel habitats demonstrated the added value to communities, providing nature-based solutions, to help mitigate and absorb high-water flows. It offers an example of how Nature-Based, climate-adaptation solutions can act on the landscape.

A Glimmer of Hope for Salmon after BC's Devastating Flood | Fishing with Rod
BC FLOOD 2021! Can Salmon Survive in A BIG FLOOD EVENT? | Fishing with Rod

Funders & Partners

Wally Hall Jr. Memorial Steelhead Fishing Derby

2021/22 Funders & Partners

The Healthy Watersheds Initiative is a $27-million program, supported by the Province of BC, to stimulate British Columbia’s economic recovery through investments in watershed conservation and restoration. The Real Estate Foundation of BC is administering funding for this program and working with Watersheds BC to support the successful implementation of more than 60 watershed security projects in communities across the province.
The Real Estate Foundation of BC is a philanthropic organization that works to advance sustainable land use and real estate practices in British Columbia. Since 1988, the REFBC has granted more than $90 million for research, education, and policy projects that strengthen BC communities and protect our land and water. Web: https://refbc.com
Watersheds BC is a capacity building initiative supporting local watershed governance and security. Watersheds BC provides training, resources, and peer-to-peer support to local government staff, First Nations, watershed boards and roundtables, regional provincial staff, and other watershed professionals. 

This is a block of text. Double-click this text to edit it.

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram