Bulkley Valley Research Centre - Science in the Public Interest

PTP / Morice WMA Field Studies Year 1

Project Reference Number: 2012-14a

Project Status: Complete

Led by: Patrick Hudson, Hydrologic Consulting Inc.

Office of the Wet'suwet'en

Funder: Tera Environmental Consulting

Project Proposal

On the 26th of June 2008 the Pacific Trails Pipeline Limited Partnership was issued a BC Environmental Assessment Act Environmental Assessment Certificate (EAC E08‐01) for the Kitimat – Summit Lake Pipeline Looping Project. The certificate is subject to, in part, the satisfactory completion of a compendium of EAC commitments appended to the EAC as Schedule B. This project addresses a number of these commitments that relate specifically to the maintenance of water quality and the protection of fish and fish habitat across the area of the PTP pipeline footprint that traverses the Wet’suwet’en Traditional territory.

The scope of work for the PTP EA follow‐up program is as follows;

Training:

  • Electro‐fishing Certification,
  • Swift water Rescue Certification,
  • Water Quality sampling training,
  • Ice Rescue.

Fish and Fish Habitat Program:

  • Review the existing Fish / fish habitat work and update the OW fish habitat database in conjunction with Westland,
  • Field visits and data collection along the corridor to develop a priority list of sites for additional habitat surveys,
  • Late summer habitat surveys (spawner surveys and redd counts) at priority sites,
  • Data entry into the OW database,
  • Planning for year 2 habitat surveys,
  • Reporting and working group review of the annual report,
  • Fish tissue sampling at select locations along the pipeline alignment.

Water Quality:

  • Spot water quality sampling at sites along the pipeline corridor,
  • Establishment of a continuous water quality monitoring station on Gosnell Creek,
  • Collect and analyze sediment samples from the Morice and Gosnell,
  • Reporting and working group review of the final report.

For information on year two go to PTP / Morice WMA Aquatics Project Year 2