Live Sediment Traps and Live Check Dams to Control Sediment and Establish Vegetation

HEART CREEK PROJECT

Location: Fauquier, British Columbia

Client: Pope & Talbot, Nakusp Division

Objective: To address slope stability, control seepage on the slide face and reduce
surface erosion and sediment input to Heart Creek. To reduce water velocity and trap sediment while establishing vegetation.

Heart Creek is a domestic watershed for the town of Fauquier B.C., located in south east British Columbia. Heart Creek also provides habitat to four valued species of fish: kokanee, rainbow trout, longnose dace and bull trout. The valley walls in this location show evidence of what appears to be forestry- related instability due to problems with road drainage structures. The failures were caused by diverted water on the old road system during the spring of 1994. The slide travelled all the way down to Heart Creek, a distance of about 160m.

<See: Landslide Restoration in Domestic Watershed and Fish Bearing Stream for more details about the project.>

Among the various treatments implemented were live sediment traps and live check dams. These structures were made using local rocks and live cuttings in the spring of 2001 and then monitored in the fall of 2001 and summer of 2003. The results found were functioning live sediment traps and live check dams with excellent survival and growth.