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[buck]

Once again fish and fish habitat take a back seat to the almighty dollar. Gravel mining upstream from the Crossing will eventually have a negative effect on fish production as it has done in the lower Chilliwack below Vedder Crossing. This is just another example of using flood threats to extract gravel for profit. Once they get a foot hold this will be an annual event.

[bentrod]

I don't know if your government allows law suits, but it would take all but about 20 minutes until people were suing to stop this kind of thing from happening. 

[chris gadsden]

Looked at this area today and the river has come up close to a foot, the holes they had dug are filled with water and it looks like a hoe is isolated on a high spot of the gravel bar they were digging in.

The river may start to cut through this area if the river keeps coming up especially if the winds they predict reach this far inland along with the Pineapple Express. That could prove interesting for the equipment out there.

Will shoot some video and pictures later in the day.

[chris gadsden]

Thanks Gord for posting this pictures. The hoe opened up a channel after you left to drain the water from where gravel had been taken and a lot of dirty water and silt drained out of it into the main flow.

Certainly not a pretty sight out there for us that are concerned about fish habitat to see happening. We have a warm wind now that may cause a snow melt and the river may break into this excavation area.

 It starts to bring back memories of nearly a year ago to the date when we had that massive pink and chum alevin kill on the Fraser due to the causeway that FOC allowed in their wisdom to be built during the gravel excavation project on Big Bar.

[darmin]

http://www.fish.bc.ca/reports.php?html_child_id=393    figured this would fit in here check this out  lots of reading but very informative check out where the vedder/ chilliwack originally ran it will surprise you it did me

[Rodney]

Photos taken by Chris. Today's pictures of the gravel excavation area. Compare with yesterday's pictures and you will see the whole area excavated is now water filled.

[chris gadsden]

Thanks Rodney.

 It is sort of ironic, last year on the Fraser around the same time of year some people blamed the alvein kill on dropping water conditions. Now this year I guess the excuse that will be given that this gravel excavation work went array because of unseasonable high water conditions.

[troutbreath]

http://www.fish.bc.ca/reports.php?html_child_id=393    figured this would fit in here check this out  lots of reading but very informative check out where the vedder/ chilliwack originally ran it will surprise you it did me

Good article. When you look at this google earth pic it still does show where the river went right up by Chilliwack I thought it went in more bt Old Orchard road area.

[chris gadsden]

Just drove by the site at dark today and with the freshet on the Chilliwack Vedder is now well under way with brown water pouring out of this excavation site, into the main stem of the system. This is the reason why this gravel mining should be allowed at this time of year.

I will try to capture a photo tomorrow as it was too dark when I drove by.

[Rodney]

Posting these for Chris.

[chris gadsden]

Thanks Rodney. You will see the gravel mining is still going on along with woody debris removal as well. This operation is still going on full tilt as yoy see in the first photo. You will notice as well in the same photo, if you look closely is an isolated area that is full of muddy water. When the water rises it too will deliver mud and silt into the main stem as will the area where the machinery is now working. The other two pictures shows an excavation area that the river now flows through, this what contributed to the muddy conditions I saw on Sunday evening. The mud and silt have now been washed downstream.

It amazes me that this scalping on this area was ever allowed, especially at this time of year as fish habitat is once again being destroyed, in the name of flood protection, so they tell us. Correct me if I am wrong but I feel that it is the almighty dollar that is driving this project.

This is the beginning I feel of more of this activity, (the thin edge of the wedge) in the Chilliwack River watershed as mankind seems bent on destroying another of our precious streams, a sad situation. I feel a bit helpless at this time, when those we charge to look after our environment seem to be sitting on the side lines letting it all happen.

No wonder we now have global warming as governments have a habit of letting things go to the point of no return and only try to take action when it is too late. We never learn.

[troutbreath]

Under the recently passed Bill 11 they can make a "resort town" there now. Penner Estates, tubing and boozing at your doorstep.