Reconnecting Quigley Creek: Many of Alberta’s native salmonids (the family that includes trout, char, whitefish and grayling), have experienced serious declines in both their range and population. Typically this is a result of multiple historic and current threats and impacts, which can include habitat loss and degradation, overfishing, impacts from non-native species, and fragmentation.
Fragmentation occurs when human-caused barriers prevent fish from accessing habitats. Often we think of dams as barriers to fish passage but road crossings can be a significant culprit as well.
Culverts are a common way to convey a stream under a road but when culverts are undersized, improperly installed, or at the end of their lifespan, they not only create barriers to fish movement but result in erosion as well. Sometimes the barrier is a result of high velocity flows within the culvert itself, other times fish actually have to jump into a culvert when the outlet is hanging above the stream.
This summer, Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC) partnered with West Fraser Mills (Hinton Wood Products) to restore fish passage and improve the functionality of Quigley Creek, a tributary of the McLeod River within the Athabasca River basin. This project benefits the local fish population by increasing the amount of available habitat.
To fix the problem, the existing hanging culvert was replaced with an open-bottom arch structure. The arch allows the water to flow under the road unimpeded, which also allows for the natural process of sediment delivery downstream. Most importantly, fish can now easily move upstream past the road to access more habitat.
Special acknowledgment goes to the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnership Program, which is delivered by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans for supporting this project. Financial support was also provided by the Alberta Conservation Association.
Thank you also to West Fraser and the Foothills Stream Crossing Partnership for working with TUC to improve our fisheries, and to Repsol Oil and Gas Canada Inc. for supporting TUC’s national Reconnecting Canada Campaign. The Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil (GRS) arch was installed by Landmark Solutions Ltd, in collaboration with Terratech Consulting Ltd.
Comments