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Big Bar landslide response information bulletin

May 3 2021

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Work advances on the concrete fish ladder ahead of the 2021 migration season

With the onset of the spring freshet, work is focused on the concrete fish ladder at the West Beach area of the site. Originally built last year, the structure is undergoing some significant upgrades. This past week crews completed the final placement of blocks to expand the ladder. They sealed and backfilled the blocks, and poured the concrete base in the sedimentation basin. Handrails, wooden platforms and steel walkways are now being installed.

To the south of the concrete fish ladder, workers are building out an area that will host a generator and fuel storage, as well as a crane pad for the ladder. A parking area on the upper bench of the Razorback is also being constructed that will serve as a storage and laydown area for summer operations.

Planning afoot for 2021 “trap and transport” program

Preparations for the 2021 “trap and transport” operations are advancing steadily, with the fabrication of the three new 17,500-litre fish transport tanks well underway. The tanks are custom-designed to hold up to 400 fish, depending on species and size. These larger capacity tanks will allow First Nations and DFO fisheries technicians to move more fish from the concrete fish ladder at West Beach to the French Bar Creek release site in less time. At the same time, the road network at the site is being upgraded to accommodate the larger rock trucks that will transport these tanks. The smaller 2,700-litre tanks from 2020 will be used to transport fish caught from the fish wheel.

Based on lessons learned from 2020, a new organizational structure has been developed for the “trap and transport” and fish wheel operations led by St’a’timc Eco Resources, Gitksan Watershed Authorities and DFO. This structure will help ensure a collaborative decision-making approach and shared oversight of the day-to-day operations by all involved. The crews will primarily consist of members from High Bar First Nation and Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, who will work closely with DFO fisheries technicians. Knowledge sharing will underline the core of the operations, with a focus on supporting First Nations to build capacity in fish health sciences.

On April 20, First Nations and DFO team members met in Lillooet to review existing equipment such as fish tanks and safety gear to plan the inventory required for the upcoming summer program.

Chinook Main Road upgrade nears completion

Prime Quality Construction successfully concluded the road improvements from KM3.5 on the Salmon Road to KM5.8 on the Chinook Main Road. This stretch of road is now at least six metres wide. The side slopes have been reinforced with rock fill and vertical walls made of soil and fabric, also known as a Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) wall. Crews also completed a “loop road”. These upgrades make the road safer for the crews that will drive the 17,000-litre fish transport trucks, allowing them to pass each other during transit.

On April 24, Peterson Contracting completed surfacing work on the Chinook Main Road as well as the TC Trail. Once the roads have been watered, graded and packed down, they will be ready for hauling operations.

Current images of work being done at the landslide site

Drone footage shows the rising water levels in the Fraser River
Drone footage shows the rising water levels in the Fraser River, now covering a portion of the “nature-like” fishway. Click to enlarge.
An aerial image of the concrete fish ladder
An aerial image of the concrete fish ladder; fish will swim up the ladder and into the holding area before being loaded into transport tanks for release upstream. Click to enlarge.
The newly poured concrete base and lock blocks of the fish ladder on the West Beach.
The newly poured concrete base and lock blocks of the fish ladder on the West Beach. Click to enlarge.
The custom-built 17,500-litre fish transport tanks to move more fish from the concrete fish ladder to French Bar Creek.
The custom-built 17,500-litre fish transport tanks to move more fish from the concrete fish ladder to French Bar Creek. Click to enlarge.
A MSE wall (centre of photo) supports the widened corner of the roadway, creating more space for passing trucks.
A MSE wall (centre of photo) supports the widened corner of the roadway, creating more space for passing trucks. Click to enlarge.
The MSE wall is built with stacked, fabric-lined wire mesh structural supports to reinforce the corner of the roadway.
The MSE wall is built with stacked, "fabric-lined" wire mesh structural supports to reinforce the corner of the roadway. Click to enlarge.

Additional images of the work underway as part of our response efforts can be seen on the Government of BC’s Flickr channel.

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