Martin Brook improvements

When the BC Ministry of Highways widened the highway to Sooke, they blasted a rock slope to provide material for the expansion and dug a channel through the remaining rock debris for the existing stream, Martin Brook, a major tributary to Bilston Creek, to flow through.  A small dam at the upstream west side of the site was also constructed as a flood water control device.  The area upstream provided a large spawning area for trout which would move downstream as the water levels fell.  Unfortunately, the dam trapped the fish in the pond area as the water leached out through the broken rock rather than staying contained during the summer or flowing over the dam. 

The BWHPA in conjunction with the Ministry of Highways, Ministry of the Environment, Municipality of Langford and the Victoria Capitol Regional District, as well as many volunteers from local businesses and interested groups, designed a plan to replace the dam with a structure more suitable to holding water during dry periods as well as methods to encourage native plant growth along the now exposed waterway to provide shade and reduce evaporation.

The project started with carefully netting the fish in the pond and moving them to other areas of the stream, pumping out the remaining water, and removing the water plants to be replanted later.  At the time the project started, there was no water downstream from the dam for 200 metres, and the pond at its deepest point was only 1 metre in depth, so the need for the remediation work was confirmed. 

An excavator increased the pond depth and width.  The old dam was removed and rebuilt using clay and soil, faced with filter cloth, and covered with broken rock to protect it during periods of high water and floods. 

Below the dam, the old channel was deepened down to and into the bedrock. A number of boulders about a metre in diameter were placed in the channel, and gravelly material laid between. This resulted in a number of pools and riffles for the length of the site.  A couple of waterlogged stumps and two partly submerged logs were placed in the pond to provide hiding places for the trout from predators and sunlight, and to attract insects which will live in the wood and become fish food.

Over several weeks, the banks of the stream and the new larger pond were replanted with native shrubs, trees, and water plants. Trees were planted along the upper bank out to about 8 metres from the stream. The slope dropping to the channel was planted with wild rose, salmonberry, red osier dogwood, and other shrubs. Next to the water level were placed water reeds and rushes along with many of the plants salvaged from the excavation work.

Observations the following year included trout spawning in the new channel and fingerlings moving about in the small ponds.  Most of the fry were able to move downstream to areas of constant flow even in the low water levels of summer. 

Following the initial observations, more gravel suitable for spawning was placed into the channel in selected spots.  Most of the shrubs and trees have been growing well and some shade is now being produced along the creek.