2005 news releases

C.R. Gravel Committee to mark tenth anniversary with extensive project
Courier-Islander (Campbell River)
Wed 20 Jul 2005
Page: A1 / Front
Section: News
Byline: Dan Maclennan
Source: Courier-Islander

The Campbell River Gravel Committee will celebrate its 10th anniversary with an extensive spawning gravel placement project in the lower Campbell next month.

During the low summer flow period, August 2 to 12, gravel trucks will be delivering loads to the end of Ebert Road in North Campbell River. The gravel will be placed in a vital spawning area just upstream from the end of Ebert on the north side of the river, restoring areas historically used by spawning chinook.

It's been 10 years since the Gravel Committee - a sub-committee of the Tyee Club of British Columbia - was formed to take part in the construction of the Second Island Spawning Channel. Gravel Committee chair Mike Gage says next month's Ebert Road Chinook Spawning Gravel Placement Project will be the largest since then.

Roughly 9,000 tonnes of gravel, or 500 truck loads, will go into the river in the $140,000 project. Funding comes from BC Hydro's Bridge Coastal Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program (BCRP). Partners and supporters include Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the provincial Environment Ministry, the City of Campbell River and the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

The Gravel Committee was formed after it was realized that much of the river was lacking in spawning gravel because much of it has been washed out since the John Hart Dam was built and no new gravel had washed down from the upper watershed.

Gravel placements in recent years have helped to restore salmon stocks by increasing spawning areas once more. The goal is for the river to support at least 4,000 chinook adults, based on historical escapements and habitat capacity of the river and estuary.

The gravel will be screened and washed, some of it twice, at the gravel pit before loading, to greatly reduce the potential for silt downstream during the placement. All equipment will be clean and only environmentally friendly lubricants will be used.

Parking along Ebert Road will be restricted to allow safe access for the heavy equipment.