The Excavation is Underway
By Damien Barstead
Much progress was made in the new Haig-Brown Kingfisher Creek stream channel yesterday. In total, about 50 meters of new creek habitat was dug. Within this stretch, two pools have been created. The larger of the two measures about 10m x 15m, while the smaller is about 5m x 6m. Both are relatively close to the lower wetland area adjacent to Campbellton Elementary.
The mini excavator is ideal for tight situations
and to finish constructing the rough stream channel with relative precision.
The larger pool is located upstream and a little ways in the forest from the creek’s old course, which ran through the culvert beneath the schoolyard. The smaller pool is located just downstream of the culvert, right beside the new berm. The pools will offer additional fish habitat by providing deeper calm waters, shelter from predators, and water storage if the rest
of the creek dries up.
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The construction of these pools and the rest of the channel seem to be progressing quite smoothly and on schedule. In fact, it was discovered that the pools were naturally lined with clay, making the project that much easier.
One of the new pools and some excellent large woody debris
that was found nearby.
This forestalls the need to ship in special loads of clay to line the bottoms of the new pools. Another energy saver was finding large woody debris to place in the pools. The work crew was able to locate existing pieces of wood from on the site and key them into the bank. This avoided having to wait for the shipment of wood from Timber West.
Today, the excavators are starting work at the Campbellton School Yard. While the larger excavators are digging adjacent to the new berm, the smaller excavator will be finishing construction on the channel and larger pool upstream.
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