In the heat of a mid-August afternoon, the Squamish Streamkeepers' Jack Cooley leads a small group — which includes a fellow Streamkeeper volunteer, Canada Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) staff, and The Squamish Chief—to one of the almost bone-dry side channels that run along the Mamquam River near the Squamish Valley Golf Course.
Visitors—like the many walkers who take to the trails—have likely noticed the change in the channels, which can go from full to almost dry in a matter of weeks during stretches of hot days.
The loss of water strands juvenile coho fry, which can be seen this day in some surface water.
As water levels drop, the Streamkeepers regularly rescue fry and take them to nearby areas where there is more water.
There are also refuge boxes placed by the DFO, that serve, as their name suggests, as a refuge for fish when water levels begin to drop.
They are deep holes dug in the channel that become a box of deep, cool water for the fish to enter.
The problem and the collaboration
Over the years, there has been a question of whether the golf course’s draw on water is impacting the water table in the side channel network.
In partnership with the Squamish River Watershed Society (SRWS), Erica Harvey, studied the channels for her joint master of science in ecological restoration program.
Her research looked at whether the golf course's draw on water from the aquifer impacted the drying of the channels adjacent to the course.
In basic terms, her research showed that the golf course was impacting the water table of the channels.
"Now, that could happen even if the golf course wasn't irrigating, but I think it's fair to say the golf course irrigation exacerbates those drought years," said the president of the SRWS, Francesca Knight.
Knight was quick to say that this information is not meant to point fingers of blame at the golf course.
“[The golf club] is a really important part of our community, and they're very open to working with us to find solutions," she said.
In fact, while there are plenty of stories about the division between groups and people over a problem, in this case, it is a story of shared goals and the collaboration of various individuals and organizations working with a common aim.
But first, some history
The side channels were constructed in 1983, by the DFO according to a presentation by Harvey.
The channels are "highly productive" for chum and coho spawning and rearing, Harvey notes.
Knight and SRWS’s executive director Edith Tobe, have more than 20 years of observing, studying and working in the area of the channels and looking at different options under their belts.
"Climate change was never considered when those channels were constructed, and it needs an innovative, contemporary solution," Tobe said.
Refuge holes are fine, but ultimately are a band-aid solution that doesn’t address the bigger issue of the drying of the creeks, Tobe and Knight both said.
Why do these channels matter?
The Squamish River Watershed Society’s Jasmine Muncaster, a biologist in training, has been testing the level and temperature of the water in these channels.
With so many channels and streams throughout the corridor, what does it matter if a few dry up completely late each summer, stranding fish?
Muncaster summed it up as not being able to afford to lose them.
"In a world with less habitable channels, less water resources, less habitat, these small areas that provide all of those key factors for salmon, ideal salmon habitat, are really important," she said. "They're also a great place for communities to come together and see the salmon returning, connect with fry, and, you know, there's bears here, too. So these small habitat refuges are important for the overall watershed."
Why not redirect the river?
Given the proximity of the Mamquam River, some might wonder why it can't be redirected to feed the drying channels.
"The reason for that is these channels are fed by groundwater, and the river is fed by the glaciers," Muncaster said. "So, if we added some sort of intake to bring in river water to be a channel, it would change the entire water quality. And coho salmon and other salmon species that are using these channels are using them specifically because it's groundwater."
Beaver labour
Tobe and Knight both noted that there are opportunities on the channel to work with the beavers that naturally use it as a habitat.
According to Harvey's analysis, the beaver activity improves water conservation, juvenile salmonid survival, density and growth rate. It also increased flows during low periods. Further, it increased the groundwater recharge and elevated the water table.
Long-term solutions
The SRWS has some seed funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and BC Hydro's Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program, and the local organization is hoping to get some more and work with the golf course on what may be a feasible solution.
"Get a hydrotechnical engineer to look at the problem … and look into the possibility of a deeper water well, a deeper aquifer well. Right now, the channels and the golf course irrigation pond are pulling off the shallow aquifer. But if we could go through the bedrock, which, like our drinking water supply, is a deep water well, into the deeper water aquifer, if we could do something similar,” Knight said, noting this could be a solution for the golf club, too.
Knight and Tobe say they presented their information to the Squamish Valley Golf Course's general manager Scott Wengi, who was open and receptive to their findings and work.
Wengi told The Squamish Chief, from his office beside a packed parking lot, with golfers coming and going on a recent sunny Thursday afternoon, that he did understand from Harvey's data that "there's some correlation between the water levels in our reservoir and those in the spawning channels."
The renovation of the course's back nine holes prior to this golf season has already improved the course's irrigation.
"Our irrigation practices are improved because every fairway and green that we redeveloped had to have new irrigation put in it. So, all those pipes, all those sprinkler heads, they all came up, and new ones were replaced. And by doing that, we were also able to better set up our irrigation, ... so that we're not wasting water on areas that we really don't need to be watering," he said.
Wengi is also open to looking at what more can be done.
Prior to this latest upgrade, the last time the course’s irrigation system had been updated was in 2012, Wengi said, adding that the course's irrigation is all computer-driven.
"So, we have it set up with the software [for how] long each night, each area is getting water, how many minutes .. and what directions we're looking at doing."
With climate change meaning periods of drought, it is an issue that is important for the channels and fish, but also for the golf club, too, he noted.
Wengi, who is from Australia originally, said that while in North America, players are accustomed to bright green, lush golf courses all season long, that isn't the case in other parts of the world.
“You go to other countries where water is maybe less likely to fall all year round, Australia, South Africa, places like that, and they've come to work with that and produce courses that are still extremely enjoyable to play, but fairways may be a little drier, not as green for the player. From a visual perspective, maybe it's not quite as nice, but from a playing perspective, a drier, firmer fairway, where the ball bounces and rolls further, so you're getting longer shots, and things like that. So, it's a positive.”
He said he thinks, over time, North American courses will gradually have to work a little bit towards that model.
“We just want to be more responsible with water usage.”
He said the Squamish course has already allowed some fairways to become a little firmer, and a little drier and focused the main watering on tees and greens.
Ultimately, Wengi said, working together is the way forward for all involved.
"It's stuff that we've definitely got to work together on," he said, "We have a permit to use a certain amount of water between April and September ... We're allowed to do it, but we want to also be conscientious in the amount of water that we are using and needing because it's no good if we're affecting other parts of the property or need by neighbours," he said.
The Squamish Chief reached out to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for comment to include in this story. A spokesperson said they were unable to meet our deadline. We will update this story when we hear back from them.
