Town of Sundre officials intend to increase fish habitat in the Bearberry Creek with $128,065.76 set aside from a provincial grant.
Increasing fish habitat in the Sundre area is required as part of the $2.4-million Red Deer Riverbank Stabilization project completed in July of 2012.
Officials had planned to complete the fish mitigation requirement by the end of 2013, but have just recently received the draft report from engineers, which suggests the project be carried out in the Bearberry Creek.
ìThe Red Deer (river) itself ñ because of its size and its changing flow ñ trying to do a fish mitigation on that river is very difficult and hard to see the gains in future time,î said Jim Hall, the town's acting director of operational services.
ìSo in the draft report they're looking at the Bearberry (creek), where there used to be, years and years and years ago, a pretty good fishery there.î
Suggestions in the report include putting in habitat boulders and fixing the erosion of the shoreline in some of the sections of the creek that lead into the Red Deer River, he explained.
Increasing fish habitat is to make up for the loss of habitat caused by the construction of eight rock spurs in the Red Deer River several years ago.
The fish habitat project is completely funded through a grant from the province. Town officials set aside $128,065.76 of the $2.4 million received specifically for the fish mitigation plan.
Officials will also be looking for groups in the Sundre area or possibly the Alberta Conservation Authority to plant willows and vegetation along the creek.
ìIn a nutshell instead of trying to do something with the Red Deer (river) from all the flooding and flood mitigation we did, you assist another tributary that could see some results,î said Hall.
Officials need approval from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) before they can go ahead with the project.
Proposals were presented in the fall of 2012. However, DFO offices in Calgary were closed as part of federal cutbacks, which delayed the project.
They had proposed fixing culverts in surrounding creeks because they restrict the distance fish can travel.
ìMy personal opinion is that the spurs make habitat. But in the DFO whenever you change something to the waterway they want mitigation,î said Hall.
ìBut I think it's good if they will look at the Bearberry (creek) because it is a tributary to the river and it could host some fish and wildlife.î
Coun. Myron Thompson commented last year that the funds should be spent on flood prevention rather than fish mitigation.
