storm drain marking

Storm Drains Marked before Salmon Return

Society volunteer, Saki helps pound down a decal east of the hatchery. (HSWS photo)

Society volunteers managed to get more area storm drains marked with bright yellow fish decals before the rains of October and the return of salmon to our streams.

Areas of focus were east of the Hoy Creek Hatchery, along Princess Crescent and northward along Town Centre Boulevard south of Douglas College, as well as drains along Lansdowne Drive from the Coquitlam Crunch Trail down to Guildford Drive.

It is important to note that the water that goes into a storm drain doesn't get processed through a sewage system like household water does, but goes directly into our waterways. Marking our storm drains is an opportunity to help educate the public and to draw attention to having clean streams that help keep our fish safe.

In previous years yellow fish were stenciled on with paint near storm drains, but the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society volunteers use a new method with supplies provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Bright-yellow sticky peel-off decal fish are pounded into place with a rubber hammer.

Please be mindful - everything entering a storm drain ends up in a creek. Creeks contain aquatic life that can’t survive pollution being dumped into the habitat. As members of the public, we all have a duty to steward and protect the environment that we live in. Should you witness any suspected pollution being dumped into a storm drain, please take immediate action to report it to the authorities:

  • City of Coquitlam Engineering 24-hour emergency (Municipal): 604-927-3500

  • Observe, Record, Report (Federal): 1-800-465-4336

  • Report all poachers and polluters (Provincial): 1-877-952-RAPP

Freshly marked for the return of the rain. (HSWS photo)

Fish don’t smoke! We’re always surprised at how many cigarette butts we see next to storm drains. (HSWS Photo)

Summer Storm Drain Marking to Raise Awareness

Photo: HSWS

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society was again out on the streets of Coquitlam over the summer to place yellow fish markers beside storm drains.

With two paint spills within a month, the need to make residents aware that our streets drain lead directly into our creeks and rivers was as important as ever.

Nothing but rainwater should go down storm drains.

To report a spill in the creek click here.

CLICK HERE TO READ HOME TIPS FOR HEALTHY STREAMS

Volunteer, Adela pounds down a yellow fish decal on Walton Ave.

Homes adjacent to a storm drain received an educational flyer. (Photo: HSWS)

Second paint spill of the summer at Hoy Creek

DESCRIPTION - Hoy Creek running milky - looks like paint in the water coming from a culvert Trail off of Walton Ave - first culvert just before the bridge
LOCATION - Hoy Creek - trail off Walton
REPORTED - 09/08/2022 03:08:19 PM
PHOTO taken at 6 p.m.

The City of Coquitlam has advised the Society of another paint spill in Hoy Creek. The report came in at 3 p.m. on Sept. 7 and it was noted at the same location as the spill on Aug. 21.

We have been told that "Environment and Public Works Staff were dispatched and were able to identify the source of the spill. It was a single-family home that had completed exterior painting work and then poured the remaining paint/paint water directly into the catch basin. Staff have educated the homeowner and enforcement action will be taken. The catch basin is being vacuumed out and there is a boom at the outfall, but unfortunately, there is still some contaminated water making its way downstream (very slowly). "

An HSWS volunteer took this photo at 6 p.m. We continue to monitor our coho smolts at the hatchery with the new Flowlink water monitoring system.

The residents were fined $500.

The Society would like to remind Coquitlam residents that storm drains lead directly to our waterways, and everyone should exercise caution when disposing of pollutants, which include chemicals used for cleaning hot tubs and pools, etc. Nothing but rainwater should go down storm drains.

If you have information related to this spill, or to report a spill in the creek click here.

CLICK HERE TO READ HOME TIPS FOR HEALTHY STREAMS

Paint Spill Reported in Hoy Creek off Walton Avenue

Photo taken at 7:15 p.m. two and a half hours after it was reported to the City of Coquitlam.

A spill in Hoy Creek was reported to the City on Monday, August 16. Thanks to a resident who posted information on a Facebook community group, the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society was alerted. A volunteer of the Society reported it to the government and this photo was taken at 7:15 pm. This is the inflow area off Walton Ave east of Walton School on Hoy Trail.

On Tuesday, August 17, the City of Coquitlam provided the following update:

We received a report at 4:41 pm that Hoy Creek was running white and cloudy. Staff from both utilities and environment were immediately dispatched.

Staff believe the substance was paint. The boom at the Walton outfall was able to contain some of the substance, but some of it settled onto the bottom of the creek at the Walton outfall and is still there today.

Unfortunately despite having three staff working on the response, they were not able to trace the spill. They did a thorough patrol through the catchment areas and couldn’t find any leads. There were also no traces left in the storm main.

They checked the hatchery and the water was clear and there were no signs of harmed fish at the outfall or downstream. We checked FlowLink and it looks like turbidity at the hatchery increased to about 12.0 NTU around 7:00 pm yesterday.

Staff will continue to look out for any potential sources (paint contractors, construction/renovation work, signs of spills into catch basins etc). It is also possible that the washout was on private property through an onsite drain or perimeter drainage. It would all tie into the storm main, but would be difficult to catch unless it was actively occurring.

This screen shot was taken via the Flowlink water monitoring system. The sensor is down beside the hatchery, quite a ways downstream from the spill.

Fish being held in the outside rearing pond were monitored after and no fish deaths were reported at the hatchery.

The Society would like to remind Coquitlam residents that storm drains lead directly to our waterways, and everyone should exercise caution when disposing of pollutants, which include chemicals used for cleaning hot tubs and pools, etc. Nothing but rainwater should go down storm drains.

If you have information related to this spill, or to report a spill in the creek click here.

CLICK HERE TO READ HOME TIPS FOR HEALTHY STREAMS

Photos taken on Aug. 18, two days after the spill. It was great to see fish swimming around in the same area.

HSWS Salutes our Dedicated Volunteers!

Spring 2020 riparian work

Spring 2020 riparian work

April 19 through 25 is National Volunteer Week in Canada, and we would like to take this time to thank our dedicated volunteers who make up our Society. 

We come together to make our community and our environment a better place.

From our daily feeders to our youth group and Saturday morning work session members, to those who lead and work administratively; collectively, we all make it happen!

Maya, Earl and Lilian representing HSWS at a Coquitlam city hall event.

Maya, Earl and Lilian representing HSWS at a Coquitlam city hall event.

Saturday morning youth volunteers in the winter after gathering cuttings to later plant in spring.

Saturday morning youth volunteers in the winter after gathering cuttings to later plant in spring.

Summer 2019 creek clean.

Summer 2019 creek clean.

Ririka and Steven mark storm drains with yellow fish in summer 2019.

Ririka and Steven mark storm drains with yellow fish in summer 2019.

Broodstock collection 2019/20

Broodstock collection 2019/20

Salmon Come Home 2019

Salmon Come Home 2019


Fish Kill Reported in Hoy Creek

Submitted photo

Submitted photo

A fish kill in Hoy Creek was reported to Hoy/Scott Watershed Society and the City of Coquitlam on Sunday, April 12 after dead fry were seen on the bottom of the creek.

The city reported to the Society that their staff attended the creek on Sunday and went out again an additional two times this week. Approximately 20 – 30 fish were observed dead on Sunday with no new reports since then.

The incident appeared to localized in the stretch of the Hoy Creek around Hialeah Court and Woodbine Place.

There were no indications of contaminants (no smell, nothing observed in the creek, etc.) and there were smaller fry and water striders observed upstream and downstream of the dead fish.

There is always the possibility that someone discharged chlorinated water into the storm drain while cleaning their swimming pool or hot tub, but the chlorine evaporates fairly quickly and is very difficult to trace.

HSWS-storm-drain.jpg

City staff also reported the incident to the Provincial Environment Officer who didn’t believe there was any point in taking a sample of the water or dead fish given that the contaminant was already gone.

The Society would like to remind Coquitlam residents that storm drains lead directly to our waterways, and everyone should exercise caution when disposing of pollutants, which includes chemicals used for cleaning hot tubs and pools, etc.

To report a spill in the creek click here.

Click here to read Home Tips for Healthy Streams

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society Initiates Storm Drain Education Campaign

HSWS volunteers, Ririka, Lani and Steven (and Robbin behind the camera) were out going door-to-door, and plan more outreach over the summer. . (HSWS photo)

HSWS volunteers, Ririka, Lani and Steven (and Robbin behind the camera) were out going door-to-door, and plan more outreach over the summer. . (HSWS photo)

It has been approximately six weeks since the Hoy Creek Hatchery and Hoy Creek suffered a fishkill due to a contaminant in the stream, which happened on May 28. (See video here)

Unfortunately no source was found, and test results showed there was no water quality parameter that was identified as the culprit, but the ammonia levels at a Hoy Creek storm outfall north of the hatchery had considerably high levels which would could point to high concentrations of bleach or chlorine.

In an effort to continue community education, volunteers of Hoy-Scott Watershed Society took to the streets north of the hatchery on July 13 to go door-to-door with educational material and a community notice with an aim to speak to anyone that was out on a Saturday morning about the fish kill in May.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society community notice. If you’d like one please email us at hoyscottcreeks@gmail.com. We have them in English, French, Farsi, Chinese, and Punjabi. See PUBLIC NOTICE links below in a variety of languages. .

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society community notice. If you’d like one please email us at hoyscottcreeks@gmail.com. We have them in English, French, Farsi, Chinese, and Punjabi. See PUBLIC NOTICE links below in a variety of languages. .

The fishkill affected a loss of over half of the hatchery fish. While 2700 have survived, the tragic event is a good reminder of how precious our ecosystem is.

The society also wishes to thanks the public and hatchery / watershed neighbours who look out for spills and report any thing out of the ordinary.

Please be mindful - everything entering a storm drain ends up in a creek. Creeks contain aquatic life that can’t survive pollution being dumped into the habitat. As members of the public, we all have a duty to steward and protect the environment that we live in.

Should you witness any suspected pollution being dumped into a storm drain, please take immediate action to report it to the authorities:

  • City of Coquitlam Engineering 24 hour emergency (Municipal): 604-927-3500

  • Observe, Record, Report (Federal): 1-800-465-4336

  • Report all poachers and polluters (Provincial): 1-877-952-RAPP

TRANSLATED PUBLIC NOTICES: English /French; Farsi/Chinese/Korean)

Thank you to Tri-Cities Community TV for this interview below on the fish kill with society president, Robbin Whachell.

Volunteer, Lani Lehun pounding down a yellow fish decal by a storm drain. (HSWS photo)

Volunteer, Lani Lehun pounding down a yellow fish decal by a storm drain. (HSWS photo)

A new fish marker by a storm drain. HSWS members will be updating storm drains on streets north of the hatchery over the summer months. (HSWS photo)

A new fish marker by a storm drain. HSWS members will be updating storm drains on streets north of the hatchery over the summer months. (HSWS photo)