Black Creek Watershed

Highlights

The Black Creek Watershed supports a large biodiversity of indigenous wildlife, plants and fish. The farmland, creeks and wetlands of Black Creek provide a diversity of habitats used by waterfowl each year during their migration along the Pacific Flyway. Black Creek is designated as a Sensitive Stream under the provincial Fish Protection Act. With historically low flows in the watershed during the summer, there have been significant impacts to fisheries and the ability to manage agricultural lands. Black Creek has national importance as a federal indicator stream and one of the major producers of Coho Salmon in Vancouver Island. It also supports populations of cutthroat and steelhead trout. The Black Creek Watershed is one of six nationally selected watersheds to pilot DUC’s Conservation Cover Incentive Program aimed at restoring and protecting riparian areas along the watershed.

Background

The Black Creek Watershed has an area of approximately 80km². The main stem is 31.3km long and includes tributaries and ditches to 211.3km in length. The watershed is in the Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone and lies within the Nanaimo Lowlands Ecosection. Agriculture, forestry and a small amount of rural residential are the main land practices adjacent to the stream channels. Watershed restoration projects have been initiated with stake holders ad landowners to provide diverse benefits. Projects provide wintering and migrating habitat for waterfowl, spawning and rearing habitat for fish, water storage to supplement low stream flows, and improvements to water management on agricultural lands. Ongoing monitoring activities include water quality and quantity studies, managing wetlands, riparian vegetation assessment, and fish stock and habitat assessments. Together DUC and its partners will continue to implement projects for the long-term health of the watershed.

Project Partners

Fisheries and Oceans Canada
BC Habitat Conservation Trust Fund
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Timberwest Forest Products
Black Creek Landowners
Black Creek Planning Table Members