Depot Creek, which runs near the border of Algonquin Park and empties into Lake Nosbonsing took a big hit from Hurricane Hazel in 1956 and it hasn't been the same since. It's home to a great speckled trout fishery, and so dozens of volunteers have worked to restore the waterway over the years.
Work is now continuing on the bank stabilization and water flow management of a 4 km section of the creek about 25 km east of Astorville, to control the amount of sand entering the waterway and damaging the coldwater aquatic habitat for speckled trout and other invertebrate species.
The project was launched in 2017 by the Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council (GNSC) and the Nosbonsing Anglers and Hunters to repair damage caused by flooding and high flows during the hurricane.
Flooding as a result of Hurricane Hazel had a deleterious effect on Depot Creek. The rush of water eroded banks destroying natural vegetation and scooping up large amounts of sand and silt that choked the existing water channels and pushed the water to find new routes that were fractured, wider, and slower moving than before.
Long term stable vegetation was destroyed, ripped or eroded from the banks by the force of the flood leaving areas devoid of vegetation and vulnerable to colonization by opportunistic quick-growing plant species without the shade and root characteristics essential to a coldwater stream.
Natural catch basins and pools were lost as the material of the destruction from above settled out and smoothed the contours of the bottom flattening and widening water flow characteristics resulting in warmer water temperatures and more area susceptible to stagnation and aridity in summer and freezing solid in winter.
Trees falling into the creek present another problem, John Thornton, chair of the Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council told BayToday.
"The creek has very sandy soil and so if trees fall directly in, they gouge out a part of the bank and all that sand and silt and go in and reduce the characteristics of the cold water stream. It's deep and fairly narrow and of course, the water is cold. When sand falls in, it kind of flattens the creek out so that it is fairly shallow and the water warms up.
Cold water streams in Ontario are becoming less and less frequent in Ontario partly because of farming which contributes fertilizer and silt. In the springtime, there is a relatively substantial runoff so if there's a blockage in the creek it's a problem.
"The water just goes around and carves out the bank so it's a constant effort from one year to the next," explained Thornton. "So cold water streams are a valuable resource in Ontario."
The cold water creek has a naturally occurring speckled trout population.
This project is working to rectify these characteristics and re-establish the creek closer to its original pristine state as a coldwater fishery – that will enhance the aquatic habitat for fish largely through improved water quality like lower temperature, reduced sedimentation, increased dissolved oxygen, and improved clarity.
Funding for the initial work was provided largely from the federal Ministry of the Environment and Climate Control – Environmental Damages Fund.
"And this summer, thanks to the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters, $2,250 has been received from the OFAH Community Conservation Fund. Paul-Emile Perron, project manager, and member of the Nosbonsing Anglers and Hunters, commented that, “The OFAH funds, are allowing us to continue our efforts with this project.”
The GNSC has also contributed $1,770, and volunteers will have put in 240 hours of labour by the time this year’s work wraps up at the end of this month.
The bulk of the work involves the placement of low log walls in combination with brush piles to stabilize the banks and at the same time to narrow the width of sections of the creek to increase the water flow. This in turn will deepen the channels and create pools of gravel and cobble clear of silt deposits.
The monitoring of sites completed previously indicates this is having a positive and noticeable effect on the creek.
Additionally, the removal of downed trees and other woody vegetation is being carried out to improve the water flow, while at the same time managing the shade aspect of this coldwater fishery.
