A construction project at a Coquitlam hatchery is expected to wrap up on Friday, July 5.
The Hoy–Scott Watershed Society received $35,000 from the Pacific Salmon Foundation to improve the channel outflows at the hatchery, which is located north of Coquitlam City Hall.
Aimed to better manage water flows, restore natural habitat and protect fish stock from climate changes, the project cost a total of $110,321 and also included partnerships with the City of Coquitlam and the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation to complete the following work:
- remove trees and failing concrete outlet
- resurface aging rearing pond
- replace a failed flow control valve
- construct a naturalized outlet channel
- including stabilizing the streambank for spawning and juvenile salmon habitat
- add a secondary circular tub to boost rearing and broodstock capabilities
- allows Chum and Coho to be held to mitigate the effects of extended drought periods
Part of the Hoy Creek Linear Trail was closed for the work, which started on June 26.
The society received the funding this spring from the foundation’s Community Salmon Program.
Other grant recipients included the Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society in Port Moody ($8,000 toward a $32,040 project to tag Coho at Mossom Creek); the Coquitlam River Watershed Society ($2,250 toward a $4,550 project for community outreach); the River Springs hatchery ($450 toward a $2,450 project to upgrade the hatchery); and the Coquitlam-based Rivershed Society of BC ($25,000 toward a $150,680 Foodlands Corridor Restoration Program).
In total, the foundation announced $1.4 million in May for 113 community salmon projects in B.C.
Founded in 1989, the foundation’s Community Salmon Program is for volunteers, streamkeepers, Indigenous communities and schools to conserve and recover Pacific salmon and their habitats.
