This is what the Creek Looked Like!

First off, the new channel needs to be created, which an adjustment for the loss of gradient. By having a plan to optimise the existing gradient with the best overall balance to provide a clean, free-flowing narrow stream channel, with key pool habitats!

This channel cutting was completed as the first part of the stream restoration, and it was carried out in 2005, so the fish habitat enhancement work could begin in the 2006 season of in-stream work. All of the necessary permits were always obtained in advance, and although the local fish and wildlife biologist made life very difficult for me in this project, I did manage to successfully complete it, and the rest is history!

Just for curiosity’s sake, why not have a quick look at the slow transformation of a pool habitat on the Millennium Creek. After all, it has been a very long time since the 2006 construction of this particular log v-weir pool habitat, in the Phase Two restoration period, which involved a few years to complete, but it was worth it in the end!

The log v-weir is my own design, based on a 1935 submission in the 1989 publication by one of my old mentors, Sheldon Lowe. “Fish Habitats – Typical Structures” was his book. My first rendition of the design was used on the very successful Canmore Creek restoration, completed in 1997 and 1998. Additional work was completed in a few following years, but the results proved to be too good to ignore, for future use.

Due to the different stream bed materials on the Millennium Creek Project, I modified the design a bit, and another factor was that future vandalism was even on my mind at that time, because the design has turned out to be vandal proof, except where culprits have tried to dig around the V-weir pools, but failed. It is just too much work for such creatures!

The low-profile design led me to use this term in the description of the structure. These designed pool habitats are self cleaning on even the most gradual slopes, and low gradient runs that are found on the Millennium Creek. Much of this was caused by the construction and installation of water intake pipes for the Town of Cochrane’s earlier water supply system.

Another path crossing was never installed properly. It was a culvert that added to the damming of the creek’s lower end, just a short distance upstream of the water intake pipeline. So, together, these crossings had allowed the Millennium Creek to collect silt in the now very low gradient run from Griffin Road downstream to the mouth on the Bighill Creek.