Municipality of North CowichanSpecial Council

AGENDA 

Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 11:00 a.m.Municipal Hall - Council Chambers

Pages

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Recommendation:That Council approve the February 6, 2019 Special Council agenda as circulated [or asamended].

3. PUBLIC INPUT

Brief public input from registered speakers regarding items on this agenda.

4. DELEGATIONS/PRESENTATIONS

4.1 Presentation: Dave Priekshot, PHD, RPBio, Consultant for the Somenos MarshSociety and Madrone Environmental Services Re: Proposed Parrot's FeatherManagement Plan for the Municipality (1 hour)

3 - 20

Purpose: To provide Council with information on a Somenos Parrot's FeatherManagement Plan for the Municipality.

5. BUSINESS

5.1 Mayor Siebring Re: Council Input into CVRD Discussions

Purpose: To discuss options for facilitating Council input into CVRD discussions

6. QUESTION PERIOD

Public opportunity to ask brief questions regarding the business of this meeting.

7. CLOSED SESSION

Recommendation:That Council resolve to go into a Closed Council meeting at ______ p.m., under thefollowing sections of the Community Charter:

Section 90(1)(a) - personal information about an identifiable individual whoholds or is being considered for a position as an officer, employee or agent ofthe municipality or another position appointed by the municipality;

1.

Section 90(1)(b) personal information about an identifiable individual who isbeing considered for a municipal award or honour, or who has offered toprovide a gift to the municipality on condition of anonymity;

2.

Section 90(1)(e) - the acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land orimprovements, if Council considers that disclosure could reasonably beexpected to harm the interests of the municipality;

3.

Section 90(1)(k) negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposedprovision of a municipal service that are at their preliminary stages and that, inthe view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests ofthe municipality if they were held in public; and

4.

Section 90(1)(l) - discussions with municipal officers and employees respectingmunicipal objectives, measures and progress reports for the purposes ofpreparing an annual report under section 98 (annual municipal report).

5.

8. ADJOURNMENT

Recommendation:That Council adjourn the February 6, 2019, Special Council meeting at ____ p.m.

2

Parrot’s Feather in Somenos Creek: Ecosystem Considerations and

Management Options

Dave Preikshot PhD RPBioEcosystems BiologistSomenos Marsh Wildlife Society

Geographic Setting• Somenos Creek has a low gradient• Pre-contact drainage channels in the Somenos and

Cowichan watersheds had very different courses• Somenos Creek has always had poor summer discharge• Somenos Creek has been subject to overabundance of

many different aquatic plant species since at least the early 20th century

• Repeated creek dredging has been unsuccessful in long term remediation of poor drainage

3

Somenos late 1800s, note:• Drainage of Bings

Creek

• Cowichan River Channels

• Somenos Creek Channels

4

Lower Somenos Creek 1958, note:• Cowichan

River Main Channel

• SomenosCreek Channel

Evolution of Cowichan River Channel, 1946-2005

5

In the last 150 years

• The total amount of water entering Somenos Creek has increased

• The size of Somenos Creek has been reduced

• The gradient of Somenos Creek has been reduced

Parrots Feather in BC• First reported in the wild in North Vancouver in 1980• Has been observed in several municipalities including:

– City of Richmond,– Town of View Royal,– City of Abbotsford,– City of Burnaby, – City of Pitt Meadows and– City of Chilliwack

6

Parrots Feather Description:• Submerged brownish stems in dense intertwined

mats, • green emergent stems ~ 1.5 m long• Submersed leaves 1.5-3.5 cm long with 20 to 30

divisions per leaf often appear to be decaying• emergent leaves bright green, 2 to 5 cm long• and have 6 to 19 divisions per leaf, resemble

small fir trees.

Parrot’s Feather(Myriophyllum aquaticum)

7

Parrot’s Feather in Somenos CreekNov 2017, Tzouhalem Rd. looking North

Parrot’s Feather in Somenos CreekNov 2017, Tzouhalem Rd. looking South

8

Other Aquatic Vegetation is found in Somenos Creek and can be quite

abundant

Not Parrot’s Feather: Mare’s Tail(Hippuris vulgaris)

9

Not Parrot’s Feather: PotamogetonPotamogeton richardsonii

Parrot’s Feather inventory Summer 2017. Site Latitude Longitude % cover m2

1start 48.7913 -123.7009 90 20251end 48.7889 -123.6961 25 62.5

2 48.7887 -123.6952 10 103 48.7878 -123.6937 10 104 48.7872 -123.6915 20 105 48.7869 -123.6900 10 206 48.7865 -123.6889 20 107 48.7858 -123.6874 10 58 48.7858 -123.6878 20 59 48.7858 -123.6871 10 5

10 48.7858 -123.6862 20 2011 48.7858 -123.6862 20 2012 48.7854 -123.6852 10 1013 48.7850 -123.6839 33 20

14start 48.7848 -123.6838 30 6014end 48.7837 -123.6832 80 400

total Parrot's Feather area (m2) 2,693

total estimated index area (m2) 10,250

% area infested 26.27

Parrot’s Feather Survey June 2017

10

Parrots Feather Effects on Aquatic Environment

• Marginalises opportunities for native aquatic plants

• Removes salmon and trout rearing habitat by creating anoxia and changing the food web

• Interferes with salmon and trout migration by physical interference and hypoxia

• Decreases foraging opportunities

• Decreases recreational and economic opportunities for thecommunity

A bit on Beaver Dams

• Beavers are native to the area

• Beavers create trout and salmon habitat

• Dams will increase summer minimum lake level

• Past policy was to trap and remove

• Cowichan Tribes is reticent about removal andtrapping in the future

• A compromise may be the use of beaver bafflers

11

Summer 2018 Beaver Dam Locations

Beaver Dams in Lower Somenos CreekSummer 2018: Dam 1

12

Beaver Dams in Lower Somenos CreekSummer 2018: Dam 2

Environmental Trends in the Somenos Basin

13

Somenos Lake Temperature Data Loggers

• Two loggers at each depth

• Loggers at 0, 3, and 6m• Loggers record every

hour• Data recovered in May

and October

Somenos Lake Daily Temperature 2014-2018

0

10

20

30

2014-Jul 2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

tem

pera

ture

(°C)

0m

3m

6m

14

Somenos Lake Water Quality Monitoring Data

• light blue = good for fish health• yellow = marginal for fish health• red = lethal to fish• Data collected once a week from April 1 to October 31

and once per month from November 1 to March 31• Samples at 0,1,2,3,4,5,and 6m for T, DO, pH,

conductivity and total dissolved solids• Samples collected at 0, 3, 5m for total phosphorous

Temperature 2015-2018

0m

1m

2m

3m

4m

5m

6m2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

15

Oxygen 2015-2018

0m

1m

2m

3m

4m

5m

6m2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

pH 2015-2018

0m

1m

2m

3m

4m

5m

6m2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

16

Combined 2015-2018

0m

1m

2m

3m

4m

5m

6m2015-Jan 2015-Jul 2016-Jan 2016-Jul 2017-Jan 2017-Jul 2018-Jan 2018-Jul

Somenos Lake Monthly Mean, Maximum, and Minimum Lake Levels (early 1960s)

4

5

6

7

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Lake

Lev

el (m

GSC

)

Mean

5m

17

Somenos Lake Monthly Mean, Maximum, and Minimum Lake Levels (2015-2018)

4

5

6

7

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Lake

Lev

el (m

GSC

)

Mean

5m

Management Options: 1 Biological

• Beavers (low cost but limited removal, dam construction could expand)

• Introduced parasites and predators (uncertain effectiveness and introducing MORE species)

• Reduction of phosphate in environment (Longer term and larger scale project with links to blue-green algae in Somenos Lake)

18

Management Options: 2• Chemical:

– triclopyr,– glyphosate,– Diquat

• Benefits: fast results, low cost• Costs: lengthy permission process, public

perception, effects on other vegetation and on animals, needs repeated application

Management Options: 3• Physical:

– pulling, vacuuming (almost total removal in relatively short time but high cost which must be born every 4 or 5 years, potential for further spread of Parrots Feather through fragmentation, large disturbance to aquatic and riparian habitat)

– shading (low cost and positive impact on aquatic and riparian environment but acts on longer time scale and will not lead to 100% removal

– channel modification and water level management (minor environmental impact with mid range cost on a longer time scale, unlikely to get to 100% removal

19

Future Activities• Engage public to select management options and management

goals, e.g., lake level meeting Oct 2018• Engage Cowichan Tribes on monitoring and management:

underway with Tim Kulchyski and Tracy Fleming• Collaboration with provincial agencies: underway with MoE and

FLNRORD• Monitoring Parrots Feather distribution and abundance to track

progress of management: underway (SMWS)• Begin experimental work on Parrots Feather control: underway

with SMWS shading project and SMWS Greenway project• Report on progress to community, management agencies and

academic groups

20