The City of Coquitlam has over 300 kilometres of creeks and streams that are home to fish and other aquatic habitat; each watercourse has been classified by a professional biologist to represent their environmental value.
Integrated Watershed Management Plans
Keeping our watercourses clean and their riparian area healthy is essential to fish and wildlife habitat. To help maintain and improve stream health, Coquitlam completed Integrated Watershed Management Plans (IWMPs) which identified habitat and environmental concerns within the various watersheds.
Adaptive Management Framework Program
The Adaptive Management Framework (AMF) was developed by Metro Vancouver in 2014 in coordination with member municipalities, including Coquitlam, to assess watershed health and the effectiveness of the IWMP’s. Every year the City, through the AMF program, monitors water quality, stream flow, and Benthic Invertebrates (B-IBI) in 3 different creeks on a 5 year rotating cycle which covers all major watersheds. This program allows the City to monitor the impacts that development and climate change have on creeks and streams and take action as necessary.
Additional Monitoring
In addition to monitoring through the AMF program the City operates flow, level, and water quality monitoring equipment on various creeks. Flow and level monitoring equipment are deployed around the City to notify staff of high levels and support hydraulic modeling. The City has also installed four water quality monitoring devices on Hoy Creek, Stoney Creek, Partington Creek and Nelson Creek. These devices provide real-time, continuous water quality monitoring of pH, temperature, turbidity (TSS) and other water quality measurements. This data assists our staff to address potential issues in the creeks to support fish and habitat.