Officials with the Mission Creek Restoration Initiative (MCRI) thought they would have to do some repairs to the floodplain work they did to the creek in 2016 as a result of last spring’s flooding. Now they know they will.
The MCRI said Thursday that as predicted, the higher-than-normal freshet flows in the spring caused changes to Mission Creek that require repair and refinement of the floodplain and fish habitat restoration work completed last year.
The Mission Creek Greenway dike on the south side of the creek between Casorso Road and Gordon Drive will remain open while work is undertaken next week, said the release.
Work crews and heavy equipment will be on site from Nov. 14 to 21 and Greenway users are being advised to avoid the work area, watch for dump trucks, construction crews and equipment, and respect the flaggers and signage on site to ensure their safety and the safety of the workers.
“Phase 1 was designed and built recognizing there would be ongoing changes to the restoration components resulting from high freshet flows,” said restoration initiative project coordinator Steve Matthews. “As a result, plans to adaptively manage the site over time in response to these changes were developed prior to project implementation.”
He said the upcoming work will involve minor adjustments to ensure the long-term health and productivity of the creek.
Phase-1 project engineer Don Dobson concurred.
“While the works generally performed as designed, this spring’s well-above-average runoff caused changes that need attention,” said Dobson. “We’ll go in to maintain the four meander notches that were built to provide fish spawning and rearing habitat for kokanee and rainbow trout by rebuilding and reinforcing berms along the old dike footprint to minimize erosion and reduce overflow into the side channel and floodplain.”
All activities will be undertaken as outlined in the project’s adaptive Management plan, and according to the requirements specified in all applicable legislation, said the MCRI.
To report a typo, email: edit@kelownacapnews.com.
<>@KelownaCapNews
newstips@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.