A milestone has been hit in the Penticton Creek restoration of fish habitat, maintenance of flood protection and stabilization of creek banks.
Upon completion of the work, the creek’s concrete bed will be replaced with large rocks and boulders, which are being strategically placed to entice a healthy fish spawning habitat.
“We’re shaping it so that it concentrates the flow towards the middle of the channel, so that even at low flows there’s still enough depth for the fish to still be able to swim,” said city engineer Ian Chapman. “We’re also putting larger boulders, sticking up more than other boulders around it – that’s so that as the fish are swimming up, they can take a little bit of respite from the flows; have a little bit of a breather behind the larger rocks.”
The creek was in its natural state until the 1950s, when concrete was laid over the bed as a measure to mitigate flooding. The concrete sped up the flow and reduced flooding, but at the cost of a healthy ecosystem – though the concrete is now fragmenting and nearing the end of its life.
In addition to redesigning the creek to be ecologically sensitive, the new design also addresses flood control with one-in-200-year flood levels factored in.
“So now we’re trying to create a situation that allows all the flows to pass through while also allowing enough depth at any depth for the fish to better wriggle their way up the creek, as opposed to the concrete channel you see below with one flat plain and a very shallow depth of flow,” said Chapman.
The project is slated to be completed before the closing of the fish window, which normally happens mid-September, but is subject to water temperatures.
“There are general dates, but the actual fish window will be determined on the basis of when the fish start running,” Chapman said. “We’re going as fast as we can and we’re doing quite well.”
The length of the showcase being restored spans the 80 metres closest to Lake Okanagan, and construction is easy to observe from the Ellis Street bridge.
“It takes a lot of minds to come together to figure out how to do this – it’s going to be interesting to figure out how to do it for the entire creek,” said Coun. Helena Konanz, who represented city council on the Penticton Creek Restoration Committee. “We’re so fortunate to have this creek running through our city. it will be so beautiful to have it in its natural state.”
Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said the creek’s location will make the project easy for the public to appreciate.
“Having it right beside downtown and on a prominent walking path, I think people will appreciate the creek’s beauty,” he said. “We have a very active community; a lot of people like to walk around, and this adds to the aesthetics of our downtown and some of our walking trails.”
The city approached the Penticton Indian Band with details of the plan before breaking ground. Coun. Tim Lezard said the band was happy with the city’s proposal.
“We liked the plan, we wanted the creek made better for the fish,” he said. “Our goal is to have fish for our people. There will be one day when the fish come back here and we’ll be back to harvest them.”
