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Pre-'99
Conservation Work
| CRAA
has completed numerous river rehabilitation projects over the past 10 years with more
and bigger projects being undertaken in recent years. Take a look below at the completed
projects and the many projects under way |
Huttonville
Creek
| Work
summer, 1994
Huttonville Creek is a small
tributary of the Credit River that had some minor salmonid reproduction in the lower
500 m. CRAA, in conjunction with the CVC and MNR completed a major rehabilitation
of the middle sections of the creek in 1994 to improve water quality and temperatures.
Prior to 1994 the creek flowed through a cattle pasture with cattle having access
to the entire stream and banks, eating all the grasses to the edge of the stream.
In 1994 the CVC installed fencing
and provided trees which were planted by CRAA. CRAA also constructed a large cattle
crossing in the middle of the property. The before picture shows the field with the
stream open to the hot sun with algae and silt. The after picture, taken in 1998 shows
the reforestation work (trees up to 20' tall) and a healthy river system. Water temperatures
in this section dropped from 80 F in 1994 to 65 F (18 C) in 1997. The cold water continues
to the mouth of the river and has extended the nursery area for salmonids from the
bottom 500 m to over 3,000 m.
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Huttonville
Creek in 1994 |
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Huttonville
Creek in 1998, after 4 years of growth |
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Streetsville
Fish Ladder Modifications
| Summer/Fall
1997
CRAA petitioned the MNR to
make changes to the fish ladder entrance at the Streetsville Fish Ladder. CRAA surveyed
the area, met with MNR engineers and designed the project. Working with MNR staff
a permit was okayed and the project was undertaken on September 20. CRAA hired a back
hoe that was later paid for in part by a grant from Shell Canada to complete the work.
The success of the project was apparent within minutes of completing the channel.
We opened the fish ladder to clean out the channel and were overrun by salmon and
trout that were waiting below the dam. Thousands of salmon plugged the entrance as
well as a few dozen early fall run steelhead. Following the mild winter the major
fish ladder operation took place in March and April.
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In
our top week over 5,000 steelhead passed the ladder, thousands more than any previous
season. This is one of our most successful projects. Now all salmonids allowed past
the Streetsville Dam will be able to quickly and easily pass the ladder and reach
the spawning grounds further up the river. |
Erindale
Park
| Summer
1995 and 1998
In 1995 CRAA completed a small
log bank stabilizer with a small wing deflector in the upper end of Erindale Park
to minimize serious erosion that was occurring. The structure was also a test project
for our workmanship holding up to flooding and the spring ice flows. With new ideas
learned from how the original structure held up, in the summer of 1998 CRAA volunteers
re-built the structure larger and stronger. Since the structure was built a small
pool has formed below (one of our intentions) and the bank has stopped eroding.
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