Heart Creek Fish Passage Improvements – Phase 2

Author: D. Wells

Culvert carrying Heart Creek under the highway had been badly undercut from scouring during freshet runoff in recent years, making spawning upstream of it almost impossible. Culvert replacement with an 18 metre long, clear span bridge which means approximately 250 metres of additional stream habitat for spawning. This restoration project is phase one of two on Heart Creek. Phase Two, which we hope to see happen in 2016 or 2017, will remove another barrier further upstream on Heart Creek. Planning is in the early stages now, but once the next barrier is replaced with a bridge, fish will be able to swim unimpeded up to approximately 1 kilometre further upstream, until they encounter a natural barrier. Once this second phase is completed, spawning area for the streams Kokanee, Bull Trout and Rainbow Trout will be doubled.

Culvert replacement with an 18 metre long, clear span bridge which means approximately 250 metres of additional stream habitat for spawning.

Culvert replacement with an 18 metre long, clear span bridge which means approximately 250 metres of additional stream habitat for spawning.