Norns Creek enhancement and stewardship $18,000

Norns (Pass) Creek is the largest of the minor permanent tributaries that enters the Columbia River near the city of Castlegar. The creek flows south from the Selkirk Mountain Range and drains into the Columbia River about 7.5 km downstream of Hugh L. Keenleyside Dam. An impassable falls is located 2.7 km from the Columbia River confluence, and gradients range from high to low from the falls downstream. The watercourse is a typical mountain drainage with highest flows during spring freshet and low base-flow conditions in late summer, fall and winter periods. The high gradient of Norns Creek combined with frequent and severe spring freshet events results in a high transport rate of streambed materials. These materials have been deposited at the confluence of the creek and the Columbia River, where they have created a large alluvial outwash area called Norns Creek fan. The creek channel through the fan is unstable and exhibits continuous lateral migration, the degree of which is dependent on the severity of flood events in the creek and the elevation of the Columbia River.

Norns Creek proper supports reproduction of kokanee and rainbow trout. Numbers of kokanee spawners can vary widely from year to year, while 200-600 rainbow trout annually spawn in the 2.7 km mainstem. The alluvial deposits on the fan typically support 30-50% of rainbow trout spawning in the Columbia River mainstem, and peak counts of 250-300 spawners were recorded during May, 2000. Considering spawner turnover and superimposition, it is likely that 450-500 rainbow trout redds were constructed at Norns Creek fan in 2000. Like the island complex at Genelle (Project 5), early-timed rainbow trout often select high elevation habitat on the fan to spawn, and redd and egg dewatering typically occurs annually. Ova salvage operations are conducted at Norns Creek fan for regulatory compliance, due diligence and to address the public's expectations of BC Hydro.

Habitat enhancement opportunities at Norns Creek proper would focus on increasing production of both rainbow trout and kokanee in the Columbia River below Keenleyside Dam. Enhancement activities may include:

• construction of spawning channel habitat in Norns Creek proper

• construction of juvenile rearing enhancement structures
  
  Objectives/Anticipated Outcomes:
  

• seek and confirm landowner support for enhancement of an existing side channel for spawning and rearing purposes;

• design habitat enhancement features for the existing side channel and in accordance with landowner support;

• extend bank protection works on Kolman and adjacent properties to reduce or eliminate erosion and thereby maintain confined channel form;

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