PART A: Project Brief Description: 500 words max describing this year’s project. Include habitat issues this project is addressing, restoration techniques used.
Over the summer of 2018, the SWEPS summer project coordinator (Holly MacDonald) and volunteers (Tom Mills and Robert Perkins) were involved in the completion of several projects related to improving the overall health of the Shubenacadie watershed. In total, 389 meters of stream habitat were newly restored at Bennery Brook. Restoration activities included the construction of in-stream structures (one digger log and two deflectors) and bank stabilization using 42 tonnes of blast rock. In addition, the ramps and pools of six previously installed digger log structures on Bennery Brook were worked on, totalling 2330m of stream habitat maintenance. The crew was also able to visit new and old brooks and found several projects for the next field season.
Laurie Park Brook was visited several times this summer and a small amount of work was planned for mid/end of September however, that did not happen due to scheduling conflicts with volunteers in addition to a large amount of rain that fell over a period of three days at the end of September.
Various other brooks were visited to find projects that SWEPS wishes to work on next summer. Annand Brook was visited several times this summer and a Habitat Assessment (NSFHAP) was done on several portions of the brook. Skerry brook was visited and determined to be in good shape on the downstream portion but in poor shape on the upper portion by Highway 118.
Black’s Brook was visited to determine if maintenance needed to be done on existing structures next year. SWEPS is looking at the possibility of building a permanent deflector to prevent students from moving rock since this has been an ongoing issue.
A Rapid Culvert Assessment was conducted on five culverts on Bennery Lake Road, a road that is gated due to a water treatment plant operated by Halifax Water. Results can be found in the “SWEPS Culvert Assessment – Bennery Lake Road” Excel File. The pH’s at these five culverts were very low, ranging from 3.7 to 5.8, with 4.74 as the average. Three of the five culverts had outflow drops one foot or higher, and a couple of the culverts had rusted through. It is important to know that this portion of land is a nature reserve (Bennery Lake Nature Reserve).
A community event at Bennery Brook was held on August 25. This included a work party/rock-throwing event, a stream clean-up and free lunch for the volunteers. This event was well attended and considered to be successful. In addition, SWEPS volunteers and summer staff took water samples in ten lakes in the Shubenacadie Watershed to continue work on their water quality monitoring plan. Potential projects for the next field season include maintenance on Bennery Brook and Black’s Brook, installation of a deflector at Black’s Brook, installation of a digger log at Laurie Park Brook, installation of rock sills at Annand Brook and Skerry Brook and visiting Holland Brook and Tillman’s Brook for future work. On May 15 and June 28, Holly MacDonald and Tom Mills attended the Watercourse Alteration Certified Installers – Aquatic Habitat Restoration Training Course and obtained their certificate as Certified Habitat Installers.
*See “SWEPS 2018 Field Season Summary Report” for additional details and information.
Project Detail, Design and Results
LOCATION INFORMATION
Watercourse:
Bennery Brook
Watershed:
Shubenacadie
Location:
Between Oldham Road and Old Post Road
Nearest Community:
Enfield, NS
Road crossing (access point):
Next to the Oldham Road bridge
Map # (NS Topo series 1:50 000):
11D13, Upper Right
Coordinates: UTMS
20T
Downstream project limit: Easting
457733.05
Downstream project limit: Northing
4975138.90
Upstream project limit: Easting
457727.58
Upstream project limit: Northing
4974860.10
PROJECT RESULTS
In-stream Habitat Structures:
Design width:
8.1 m
Distance between structures (average/ design)
48m
Number and Type of Structures
One digger log with two deflectors
Total length (meters) of stream restored:
48
Area in Sq. meters
389
Bank Stabilization and Riparian restoration
Length of bank:
48m
Height of bank:
Average of 71.25m
Width of watercourse:
Average of 12.53m
Method of stabilization:
Rocks (blast rock 8” to 16”)
# Trees Planted
0
Other Instream Habitat Restoration Measures Taken
Type of Action taken:
Pool deepening
Design width:
3m
Distance of restoration
8m
Total length (meters) of stream restored:
48m
Area in Sq. meters
389
Fish Passage Remediation
# Culverts Assessed:
5 on Bennery Lake Road
Type of barrier(s)
Outflow drops on three culverts
Action taken
N/A – only did a Rapid Assessment
Upstream habitat gain (linear meters)
N/A
Other Activities and Results
Water quality monitoring measurements were taken. No unusual results were noted.
Maintenance was done on six previously installed digger logs including digging pools deeper and building up the back ramps.
Stream clean-up, broken glass removal.
Rock throwing event with 11 volunteers.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Watercourse:
Laurie Park Brook
Watershed:
Shubenacadie
Location:
Laurie Provincial Park
Nearest Community:
Wellington/Grand Lake
Road crossing (access point):
Laurie Park Road
Map # (NS Topo series 1:50 000):
11D13, Upper Right
Coordinates: UTMS
20T
Downstream project limit: Easting
452737.04
Downstream project limit: Northing
4970163.94
Upstream project limit: Easting
452761.19
Upstream project limit: Northing
4970075.33
PROJECT RESULTS
In-stream Habitat Structures:
Design width:
5.3
Distance between structures (average/ design)
N/A
Number and Type of Structures
N/A
Total length (meters) of stream restored:
N/A
Area in Sq. meters
N/A
Other Activities and Results
Stream walks to assess what could be done to the brook. We wanted to get work done here but were unable to this summer.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Watercourse:
Annand Brook
Watershed:
Shubenacadie
Location:
Monte Vista Road, after the gate, at the bridge
Nearest Community:
Monte Vista/Enfield
Road crossing (access point):
End of Monte Vista and Rafter Road, past the gates
Map # (NS Topo series 1:50 000):
11D13, Upper Right
Coordinates: UTMS
20T
Downstream project limit: Easting
453471.95
Downstream project limit: Northing
4978031.29
Upstream project limit: Easting
452269.21
Upstream project limit: Northing
4978039.15
PROJECT RESULTS
In-stream Habitat Structures:
Design width:
5.78
Distance between structures (average/ design)
34.71
Number and Type of Structures
N/A
Total length (meters) of stream restored:
N/A
Area in Sq. meters
N/A
Other Activities and Results
Habitat Suitability assessments (NSFHAP). 8 Sites and 32 transects completed.
Next year: rock and sill habitat restoration technique.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Watercourse:
Skerry Brook
Watershed:
Shubenacadie
Location:
Waverley Rd/Sibley St/Laurie St/Beechcrest Dr
Nearest Community:
Waverley
Road crossing (access point):
2115 Waverley Road
Map # (NS Topo series 1:50 000):
11D13, Lower Right
Coordinates: UTMS
20T
Downstream project limit: Easting
453513.77
Downstream project limit: Northing
4958373.07
Upstream project limit: Easting
453804.60
Upstream project limit: Northing
4958852.65
Fish Passage Remediation
# Culverts Assessed:
2
Type of barrier(s)
Culvert
Action taken
None
Upstream habitat gain (linear meters)
N/A
Other Activities and Results
The culvert was visited by Tom, Amy and Holly. The culvert passes under four lanes of highway. The upper end of the culvert is a stream system in very poor condition, with an ATV crossing filled in with small blast rock and a rusted culvert passing underneath a service road. The habitat in between these two culverts is full of debris, stagnant water, grassy vegetation and various dug out stream channels in the flood plain. The conclusion is that the project would be very difficult and costly to restore the habitat on the other side of the culvert and therefore unlikely to be of high importance. However, there could be potential to create rock sills on the bottom portion of the stream that is in good condition.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Watercourse:
Black’s Brook
Watershed:
Shubenacadie
Location:
South of Lockview High School
Nearest Community:
Fall River, NS
Road crossing (access point):
Lockview High School parking lot, accessed via Lockview Drive
Map # (NS Topo series 1:50 000):
11D13, Upper Right
Coordinates: UTMS
20T
Downstream project limit: Easting
451214.63
Downstream project limit: Northing
4963343.25
Upstream project limit: Easting
450716.31
Upstream project limit: Northing
4963397.82
Other Activities and Results
Black’s Brook was visited to determine if maintenance needed to be done on existing structures during the next field season. The brook is still an issue with the students at Lockview high school. Every year, rocks are moved to make a bridge to the other side which blocks fish passage. A deflector was built as part of the original work in 2015 but no logs were used to form a crib due to the desire to make the area look more “natural”. SWEPS is looking at the possibility of building a permanent deflector to prevent students from moving rock since this is an ongoing issue. In addition, new debris jams at Black’s Brook will have to be cleared next year.
SUMMARY
OVERALL PROJECTS RESULTS (All sites)
Total Number and Type of Structures:
One digger log, two deflectors
Total length (meters) of stream restored:
133
Total Stream Habitat Area in Sq. meters:
389
Total Riparian Area in Sq. meters:
N/A
Total Number of Trees planted:
N/A
Total number of fish passage remediation sites
1
Total upstream habitat gain (linear meters)
389
Past Work & Future Plans: Putting this year’s project in context of the watershed.
Has habitat work been done on the watercourse(s) in previous years? Which? How much?
Emma Garden prepared a “Bennery Brook Restoration Plan: Options for Restoration, Management, and Improvement of Bennery Brook and Related Waterways” in 2011 for the Community-Based Environmental Monitoring Network (CBEMN). The purpose of this project was to assess the current stream condition in Bennery Brook, through analysis of various physical, chemical and biological components. Work commenced on Bennery Brook in 2012 with the installation of four digger logs. In 2015, Adopt a Stream staff recommended the installation of three additional digger logs along the brook. Two of the three were completed in 2016 and the final seventh digger log was completed this year in 2018. Previous work was done at Black’s Brook in 2014. The SWEPS summer crew installed five digger logs, one deflector (rock only deflector, no wooden crib), removed five large debris jams and planted 12 trees. In 2015, maintenance was done at Black’s Brook to clear debris jams. Laurie Park Brook was visited last year but no work was done then. Annand Brook and Skerry Brook were visited for the first time this year.
Is further additional work planned or anticipated?
No additional structural work is planned for Bennery Brook, however SWEPS wishes to do maintenance on Bennery Brook every year to keep the pools and ramps functioning properly. Laurie Park Brook was scheduled to be worked on at the end of September, however scheduling conflicts and weather prevented that from happening and therefore SWEPS wishes to work on the brook next year. Additionally, Bennery Brook on the other side of Highway 102 (near Grant Road) was visited and there may be work there in future years. Next year, SWEPS is interested in creating rock sills in Annand Brook and potentially in Skerry Brook. SWEPS is also interested in building a permanent deflector at Black’s Brook to prevent students from moving the rock every year. They also want to clear debris jams and provide upkeep to the digger logs at Black’s Brook. SWEPS wants to visit Holland Brook and Tillman’s brook next year for potential future projects.
PART B: Project Delivery (Overall project, not by watercourse)
PEOPLE POWER
VOLUNTEERS
Describe how volunteers contribute to your Adopt-A-Stream project and to your organization in general.
The SWEPS organization is entirely run by volunteers. They have monthly meetings that are attended by at least six volunteers on average. They supported the Adopt-A-Stream project by helping get the Project Coordinator set up and organized. They provided information and documents from past projects and access to a laptop. Additionally, we had two people volunteer occasionally on their own throughout the field season. A Rock Throwing Event was also held that brought 11 volunteers together for a Saturday morning and afternoon.
Number of People volunteering on all aspects of the project:
2 – Tom Mills and Robert Perkins
11 – Rock Throwing Event
Total Volunteer Hours
240
Approximate breakdown of roles
Moving rock, moving sand, hammering rebar in logs
Management / Supervision:
2
Labour:
10
Other:
0
PAID PERSONNEL
Number of project workers:
1
Total Tally Weeks of work:
11
Start Date:
July 16 2018
End Date:
September 28 2018
Other Paid staff contributing to the project:
N/A (Funding Application Unsuccessful)
PARTNERS
Other Project Contributors
Contribution Description
Cash
Inkind
Bill Horne MLA Waverley-Fall River-Beavebank
Donated funds for our Rock Throwing Event on August 25th, 2018
$250
Mr. Brad Hodgins (Shubenacadie Canal Commission)
Donated funds for the Rock Throwing Event
$30
OTHER GOOD STUFF
Please convey any other additional activities undertaken to support the project (education, promotion, population assessments etc.) even if not directly funded by NSLC Adopt A Stream.
Flyers for the rock throwing event were posted in a couple locations around the community (Wellington Bakery, Sobeys, Irving Big Stop in Enfield). The posters were also distributed in pdf form to the SWEPS general membership and other interested members of the public. An attempt was made to contact the Gordon Snow Centre to do an activity with the youth there. However, the late hiring of the summer worker was too late notice for the planning of activities at the Gordon Snow Centre (all the activities were already planned). Another project SWEPS has undertaken this summer is continued work on their Water Quality Monitoringproject which is standardizing and making historic and current water test results available in one database. We collected water quality data in ten lakes; Loon Lake, Lake Charles, Lake William, Soldier Lake, Miller Lake, First Lake, Second Lake, Third Lake, Kinsac Lake and Powder Mill Lake.
