Boat dock plan could threaten fish, Sierra Club says
Group considers legal action to protect area at the mouth of Whitemud Creek
A new city plan to build a boat dock just metres downstream from Edmonton’s only remaining natural creek and a popular fishing hole has left Sierra Club volunteers outraged and contemplating legal action.
“We’re considering a spend of tens of millions of dollars to restore a closed fishery in Mill Creek. Why risk the destruction of a viable fishery at Whitemud Creek?” Charlie Richmond, Sierra Club regional co-ordinator, said Tuesday, preparing to argue his point at council’s urban planning committee Wednesday. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Richmond said the city’s plan ignores a basic ecological fact about creeks — from a fish perspective, they don’t end where they meet the river.
Whitemud Creek water takes a sharp right turn and runs along the North Saskatchewan River bank for at least 150 metres before it mixes into the river water. That plume is a rich habitat for fish because the turbulence brings up microorganisms from the creek bed, and the stream washes down other small fish and food.
Fish spawn in the creek, then immediately visit the creek mouth and the long boundary region to rebuild their energy, said fish biologist Rick Pattenden of Mainstream Aquatics.
“It’s like in the ocean where you have cold and warm currents, you have shear zones where the fish like to feed,” added David Andres, a hydrological engineer also volunteering for the local Sierra Club chapter and planning to speak at committee Wednesday.
The boat dock is one of six scheduled for construction this summer. This launch would not have power boat facilities, just a hand launch to accommodate canoeists, but because it’s close to parking and restrooms, the Sierra Club believes it will attract increased motor boat traffic.
Power boats mean fish hit by propellers, increased noise and hydrocarbon pollution, Richmond said. That’s in a creek already stressed by changes to drainage patterns from development. Disturbance from the dock itself depends on the design, but even a floating dock requires posts and abutments constructed in the river bed.
“The magnitude of these consequences is just huge ... for the convenience of someone who wants to use a restroom,” Richmond said, adding other local natural groups are growing concerned about the issue.
“Is it big in terms of fish if we destroy a fishery? Well, it can be a big issue legally. There’s always the possibility of injunctive relief. If people are pushed, they will be looking at that,” he said. “I think a whole lot of people are greatly concerned.”
The volunteers support the other five docks, and would support this one if city officials moved it upstream of the creek or 150 metres downstream, where recreational boats could still get access via Keillor Road. Moving it upstream would require cutting some trees and bushes, but that will grow back easily, Richmond said.
Peter Ohm, head of city planning, said the city’s environmental review focused mostly on construction issues, not the long-term impact. But provincial and federal officials also reviewed the plan and had no issue.
He’s still recommending the city build in this location, but is bringing it to committee to doublecheck with elected officials.
“We acknowledge there are some valid concerns here,” he said.
Choosing a new location will cost more money and delay the project for another construction season.