Steven Hill
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The Cheakamus River has been put at the top of an annual Outdoor Recreation Council list of BC's most endangered rivers, released on Monday (March 20). The river shares the dubious distinction with the steelhead streams emptying into the Gulf of Georgia.
Mark Angelo, rivers chair of the Outdoor Recreation Council and head of the fish and wildlife program at BCIT, said the annual list of endangered rivers represents the views of many stakeholders.
"We have been doing this list every spring for the past 14 years," he said. "Basically it is a four-month process to comprise the list. We solicit nominations, not only from the 120,000 members of the 40 groups under our own umbrella, but also we get nominations from the general public, along with resource managers.
"So the list represents the views of those who use and recreate on rivers as well as those who manage rivers," he said. "So I think it is an accurate snapshot of our waterways."
Angelo said the Cheakamus sits at the top of the endangered river list, as a result of an August 5 spill of caustic soda from a derailed CN train. More than 500, 000 adult and young salmon, steelhead, trout, lamprey and other species were instantly killed by suffocation following the spill. Some reports have suggested it will take 50 years and millions of dollars to return the river to its former state.
"Looking at the Cheakamus, certainly in light of the impacts of last year's derailment, I certainly think it is appropriate for it to be at the top of the list," said Angelo. "The impacts will be felt for many years, if not decades. Most estimates say 90 per cent of the fish in the river were eradicated. But over and above that, the impacts of the spill were even more far reaching in that certainly certain wildlife species that depend upon fish will be impacted, and also many people have been personally affected by this spill, whether it be a cultural, recreational or economical perspective.
"That could range from people who own fish and tackle shops, to local fishing guides," he said. "So the impacts were far ranging, and in short, this could be the most catastrophic spill that has taken place in BC over the last several decades."
Angelo said his group would like to see assurances this kind of spill will never occur again.
"In terms of where we should go from here, I think on the one hand we should everything possible to ensure this kind of event never happens again," he said. "As you know CN had 11 major derailments last year on former BC Rail Lines. In our view CN has to demonstrate that it is maintaining its lines along acceptable standards."
He also said more has to be done to restore the Cheakamus to its former glory.
"Secondly, from a river restoration perspective I think there is lots to be done," he said. "I want to recognize that some steps have been taken in recent months, at least to partially address some of the impacts of the spill. Some fish culture operations have been ramped up, including the release of pink salmon fry. In addition CN is committed to donations over the next five years to the broader Squamish River Watershed amounting to $250,000 per annum.
"Still, I want to emphasize there is no easy fix to a spill like this," he said. "In our view, CN should be fully responsible for all the costs incurred in the development and implementation of an extensive Cheakamus-specific recovery plan. Such a plan would have to have an array of actions, like the development of in-stream restoration projects. I think there is potential for the development of additional off-channel habitat."
Angelo said there could also be stream enrichment options available, as well.
"There also maybe the need to manipulate increased flows to the benefit of fish from the upstream Daisy Lake dam," he said. "But if that is the case, that would require the release of additional water from BC Hydro. If they agree to provide that, we feel they should be fully compensated by CN."
Edith Tobe from the Squamish Rivers Watershed Society said she was grateful for the recognition of the plight of the Cheakamus."But I am also sad that the river has been granted that ranking and we are in such a traumatic state," she said.
"It is very frustrating. True, if left alone the river will recover, but the reality of the situation is that the impacts from the August 5 spill means the river will not come back in any decent time without artificial assistance, hatchery programs and restoration work."
She said opportunities would be lost for upcoming years if action was not taken soon.
Tobe also wants to ensure all waterways in and around the area are protected in the future.
"I've decided to take a proactive bent," she said. "We need to ensure our remaining water courses in this town remain in a healthy state by giving good management on the riparian habitat and ensuring as large a riparian setback as possible."
