Paint Spill in Hoy Creek Sourced to Storm Drain Dumping

Photo taken at approximately 2:30 p.m.

On Thursday, Sept. 24 at approximately 1:50 p.m. the Society was contacted by a resident who saw a couple dumping paint into a street storm drain northwest of the hatchery. The City of Coquitlam was alerted by that resident.

A Society volunteer went to the creek to check for spillage and white paint was found by the footbridge on Hoy Trail off LaSalle Place south. Paint was coming in through an inflow side channel and pooling in an area before the main stream where coho salmon fry like to find refuge.

A City representative was on the scene shortly after and placed an absorbent boom down just in time to catch most of the paint before it seeped into the main stream.

The Society reported the incident to the provincial government.

The Society was advised by the person reporting that the storm drain was on Michigan Drive which is northwest of the affected creek area. This area was canvassed by Society volunteers in the summer of 2019 after a large fish kill in the creek and hatchery earlier that year.

The City of Coquitlam has reported that they have investigated the issue and have been in contact with the Ministry of Environment. Enforcement measures are pending at the moment.

The public is urged to be mindful of storm drains, which are meant for rainwater only, and are not for refuse disposal.  Individuals observing a dumping or a fish kill in our streams, or the presence of any other possible pollutants are encouraged to immediately report the event to the authorities. Contact numbers are provided on our website’s contact page.

• A related Tri-City News article

• Paint spill in Hoy Creek in June, 2020

CLICK HERE TO READ HOME TIPS FOR HEALTHY STREAMS

The BLACK frame is the area of storm drains that flow into Hoy Creek to the area where the paint instream was discovered on Sept. 24. The GREEN is the storm drain system.

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Photo taken at approximately 2:40 p.m.

Volunteers clear trash from Hoy and Scott Creeks at Aberdeen Avenue

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Fast food containers were the most common trash items collected.

Our annual summer stream clean was held on Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 and was focussed on Aberdeen Avenue, an area not necessarily noted for close proximity to nature due to it being an industrial area.

in fact, this busy street in Coquitlam has two streams running below it. Both Scott and Hoy Creeks flow under this avenue and converge where the SkyTrain crosses over just south of Aberdeen. Once the two streams converge, they eventually meet the Coquitlam River before joining the Fraser River. The Fraser River flows into the Straight of Georgia (Pacific Ocean), a total distance of 78 km.

In preparation for the work, the Society provided notice to the surrounding businesses. The notice also served to remind on the delicate ecosystem along the street which is often seen dotted with semi-trucks making pickups or deliveries.

View our photo album on Facebook.

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Hoy/Scott Watershed Society volunteers gearing up at the start of the day on Aberdeen Ave.

“Each year we focus on one area of Scott or Hoy Creek as a summer activity,” said Society president, Robbin Whachell. “It’s important that we do this work in the late summer as not to disturb salmon in the creeks. This year, our vice-president, Tyler Storgaard scouted several areas and we agreed this industrial business location would be optimal as we’d not focused work in this area before, and the streets were not marked with storm drain fish decals.”

In less than three hours on each day, the work of HSWS volunteers was evident by the piles of trash removed from the banks of both Scott and Hoy Creeks and along the street between the two streams.

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Kim clearing an area that appeared to be frequented as a lunch and/or smoke-break spot by local workers.

“We also cut back the invasive blackberry, which often grows over and hides the stream,” said Whachell. “We hope that less littering will take place if people see that the creek is just right there, a few meters from where they walk past.”

Some of the most common items picked up during the clean were face masks, cigarette packages, fast food and drink containers, bottles and cans, and small plastic bag packaging for earplugs.

Most unusual finds were toys still in good shape, clothing, bedding, footwear, car parts, a dining tabletop and railing.

View our photo album on Facebook.

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Items removed from Hoy Creek on Aberdeen Ave.

Lani holds up some of her finds from Scott Creek along Aberdeen Ave.

Ririka pounds down a fish marker near a storm drain while Robbin clears rubbish above Scott Creek on Alberdeen ave.

Hatchery Update – The Coho Fry Stage

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Coho fry approximately 5 month old.

Since our last update, a lot has changed, not only with our eggs hatching, alevin emerging and now maturing to swim-up fry but the global pandemic we face.  As a result of COVID-19, Hoy-Scott Watershed Society has made the decision to cancel all Saturday work sessions, all in-person meetings, and hatchery tours or open houses until further notice including our annual Salmon Leave Home event.  

Behind the scenes, our volunteers continue to provide the daily aquaculture care including feeding, filter and equipment/tank cleaning supporting the 2018/2019 broodstock held in our rearing pond and the 2019/2020 swim-up fry that have been transferred from the incubator to our Capilano trough.

Three of our four Coho Salmon trays in the incubator have matured to fry with only a faint reminder on their bellies where a yolk sack once was (from the Alevin lifecycle stage).  These three trays have been transferred to our Capilano trough and all at different times as they each reach their maturity as swim-up fry. As of today, we have almost 8000 fry held in our Capilano trough (on the east side of the hatchery building), and the final incubator tray is just days away from joining the rest as they mature. Our survival rate has been over 99% with this year's collection and we will have almost 14,000 coho salmon.

Fry are ponded and move from the incubation room to the Capilano trough on the east side of the hatchery.

When first ponded, the fry undergo a vital change – it takes some time (between 20-40 mins or more), but they eventually swim-up to the surface to take in air.  Over a period, they will take several surface gulps of air that fill up their swim bladder allowing them to hold a position in the water (i.e. float). As the fry begin to stabilize and adjust to this new environment, we begin to feed them with food for their first time; previously as alevin, they fed off their yolk sacks. 

Our fry along with wild salmon have developed dark bars on their sides by now, called parr marks.  In a natural environment, these bars help them to camouflage with the gravel and blend in with their surroundings to hide from predators like birds.  Coho fry within Hoy creek and other estuaries will be visible if you are to patiently wait and watch long enough in eddies and still pools.

As the weather improves, we find ourselves getting out to complete yard work, clean the exterior of the house, clean the car, among many other activities.  With each of these activities, we should stop and think about where the fertilizer run-off goes, the same about the paint that fell off the fence or house during washing, the soap that removed the grime from the car and even the sand with some murky water that left the driveway bright grey once again.  All of these are pollutants and we must each do our part to ensure these don’t end up in our watershed or elsewhere in the environment. 

Also when taking a walk through the watershed on sunny days, remember how nice it is to be in the cool shade.  Wild salmon in the creek including our hatchery fish rely on shade created from large boulders, overhanging bushes, tree stumps or fallen logs to keep the water cool.  Wooded debris in the creek not only provides shade but food sources and also acts as a natural aerator to keep up the oxygen in the water for the fish to survive. Please remember to leave the branches, logs and creek banks the way they are found to ensure the creek remains stable, healthy and productive with life.

If you have questions or are interested in volunteering with the society, please contact us at hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more photos of our work and of nature along the watershed.

Volunteers Clean-up Scott Creek near Runnel Drive

The haul after 2 hours in an along Scott Creek north of Runnel Drive.

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society volunteers were out on August 24 for the annual creek clean. This year the focus was Scott Creek, and within two-hours the group was able to remove a sizeable amount of refuse from the urban stream.

The haul consisted mainly of: trash (cans/wrappers/plastics), a Xmas tree, chairs, car and bicycle tires, bike parts, a book, bottles, needles, clothes, bedding, lots of doggy doo bags and more.

“I’m very proud of our group of volunteers,” said society president Robbin Whachell. “Several of whom are new and experiencing Scott Creek for the first time. Our cleanup exercise, which can be discouraging to see the trash, allows us to experience the stream up close and personal.“

“It’s a beautiful time of year, and a safe time for us to walk within the stream without disturbing fish eggs/nests,” said Whachell.

“Although we found a good amount of trash, there were long stretches that appeared unmarred by humans, which was great to see!”

The Society will begin hosting monthly open houses the first Saturday of each month, starting in September. Come by Sept. 7 for a tour and to ask questions. If you’d like to become a volunteer, this is the perfect opportunity to learn more.

Save the date for Salmon Come Home, a family-friendly event hosted by the Society along with the City of Coquitlam. This year the four hour event will be held on Sunday, Oct. 20.

(See more photos in our Facebook album)

Helena removes a bed sheet from the stream. (Scott Creek)

Volunteers collecting trash along Scott Creek north of Runnel Dr.

Volunteers of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society stand near the information sign on Runnel Drive.

Salmon Leave Home at Hoy Creek on Mother's Day

A young boy releases a coho smolt on the edge of Hoy Creek, while a volunteer assists and looks on - at Salmon Leave Home 2018. (Photo: HSWS)

The Hoy-Scott Watershed Society invites the community out for their annual Salmon Leave Home event on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam.  People of all ages will have the opportunity to help release 18-month-old coho smolts into Hoy Creek.

“Salmon Leave Home is a great way for families to connect with nature, and brings awareness to our delicate ecosystem, right here in Coquitlam,” said society president, Robbin Whachell.  “Once the salmon are released, they make their way downstream to Scott Creek, then Coquitlam River, the Fraser River - which empties into the Strait of Georgia on the Pacific Ocean. They take about a year to get to the ocean, and then return in approximately 2 years to the same location where they were spawned.”  

The family-friendly free outdoor event will run rain or shine and the society will have families engaged in fishy fun. Students from the Pinetree Secondary community club will be providing face painting, and a family walk through the watershed is always beautiful at this time of year.

The event is a great opportunity to learn about the local fish hatchery and get information on the year-round volunteer-run salmon enhancement program, which includes work with plants in the riparian area of Hoy and Scott Creeks. 20,000 coho fry will also be on display.

The hatchery is located in the Hoy Creek Linear Park behind Douglas College and north of Guildford, a few minutes walk inland, and is only a ten-minute walk from the Lafarge Lake-Douglas skytrain station.  To find the exact location, simply Google “Hoy Creek Hatchery.”

RSVP to the Facebook event page to receive updates and a reminder.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a year-round salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We are actively involved in watershed restoration, public awareness, education and preservation.

Salmon Come Home to Focus on Watershed Protection

Salmon educator Chris Hamming

Enjoy the fall colours, celebrate the salmon, and learn about your environment at the twenty-sixth annual Salmon Come Home at Hoy Creek Hatchery on Sunday, Oct. 21.

Co-hosted by the City of Coquitlam and Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (HSWS), the free family event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with music, face painting, crafts, displays and conversation with local environmental groups, food, and Angela Brown's Nylon Zoo costume parades.

Fall is the time that salmon return to Hoy and Scott Creeks, and rain is an essential element that raises creek levels, allowing the salmon to swim upstream to the area they were born to complete their life-cycle, spawn and die. Prime viewing of returning salmon is usually from mid-October to early November.

“With no rain expected before the event, it may be unlikely that we’ll see salmon instream, however, this will not take away from the purpose of the event,” said Hoy-Scott Watershed Society president, Robbin Whachell, “that is to educate about the salmon and bring awareness to preserving our habitat to ensure its return in the years to come.”

Salmon educator and HSWS founding member, Chris Hamming will be on hand to offer interesting and fun facts on salmon, one of nature’s great wonders.  Hatchery tours will be conducted – the facility is home to 5000 young coho which will be released in May 2019. Hoy Creek is also home to wild baby salmon often visible in the shadows or seen under the bridge ways. Hoy Trail offers a beautiful walk featuring towering trees and active birdlife.

The hatchery is home to 5000 young coho which will be released in May 2019.

The Hoy-Scott Watershed Streamkeepers formed a society in 1992, with a mandate to promote watershed restoration and public awareness of the need to preserve the creek and surrounding habitat. With the support of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans, the society works to increase both coho and chum salmon populations.

A clear warm weather day is in the forecast for Oct. 21, however the event runs rain or shine.

The Hoy Creek Hatchery is in Hoy Creek Linear Park, west of the City Centre Aquatic Complex (Pinetree and Guildford Way), and is a seven-minute walk from the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain Station.

Visitors can walk in from a variety of locations: from Princess Crescent, from behind Douglas College; from Guildford Way (between Johnson and Pinetree), from Walton Avenue or behind Walton Elementary, or from the foot of Lasalle Place.

Free parking is available at Coquitlam City Hall, Pinetree Community Centre and Douglas College.

Receive a reminder by RSVPing to the event’s Facebook page, or go to hoyscottcreeks.org for more information.

It’s a beautiful time of year to explore Hoy Trail.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society announces 2018 executive

Left to right: Robbin Whachell, President; Lani Lehun, Director; Chris Hamming, Director; Kyle Uno, Treasurer; Sandra Uno, Director; and Rodney Lee, President. (Missing from photo: Emily Rossi and Arno Hazebroek)

The Hoy-Scott Watershed Society held an annual general meeting on May 15, 2018 at the Coquitlam library and voted in the following executive: 

Vice President - Rodney Lee
Director - Chris Hamming
Director - Sandra Uno
Director - Arno Hazebroek
Director - Lani Lehun

On June 19, Emily Rossi was voted in as secretary... 

"We have a great group of dedicated individuals on our executive, who volunteer their time to keep this Society going and progressing in our initiatives," said Robbin Whachell, the current president of the Society.  

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a year-round salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We are actively involved in watershed restoration, public awareness, education, and preservation.

Coquitlam residents help release coho at Salmon Leave Home

A boy releases coho salmon under the guidance of a volunteer at Hoy Creek. 

The weather was perfect for our annual Salmon Leave Home event on May 6! Well over a thousand residents participated.

We'd like to thank everyone who came out to lend a hand and give their well wishes and good thoughts to our 5000 coho smolts who now make Hoy Creek their home.  The fish will now make the creeks, or the Coquitlam or Fraser rivers their home for about a year before making it to the ocean. 

Patrons of Salmon Leave Home listen to Ed Hall of Kwikwetlem First Nation at the opening of the annual event at Hoy Creek. 

A big thank you to special guests, the Kwikwetlem First Nation who provided comment during the opening ceremony and released our first fish into Hoy Creek. Thanks also to the Wild Salmon Caravan for providing entertainment and art activities. The kids loved painting the salmon van!  The Pinetree Secondary School students were a great help on site, and also provided face painting. 

The Wild Salmon Caravan served up fishy fun. 

CBC News came out to provide coverage of the event on the evening news that day. 

After the event closed, the rearing pond was cleaned out in preparation for the next broodstock which will make the location their home in June. The approximately 6-month old salmon will live there until the next Salmon Leave Home event in May 2019. 

To view our all of our photos of the event, check out our Facebook album. If you are not a Facebook user, we have a Google photo album too.

We'll see you at Salmon Come Home in October!

Spill reported in Hoy Creek on June 3

Suspected paint in Hoy Creek on June 3 (Photo: Arno Hazebroek)

On June 3, 2017, one of our members was alerted of a spill in Hoy Creek. It was a Saturday evening before 6pm.

The spill was reported immediately to the authorities and our member also went to review the situation and took the photos seen here. It appeared to be white paint.  Hoping to soak up the paint he placed white boards across the spill area.

While we cannot be 100 percent certain, a storm drain by the trail near Walton Ave did have a white substance on it.  He also took a photo of that.

The water in the Capilano trough at the hatchery was white, but the fish were behaving normally. The PH level of the water was between 7-8.

Hoy Creek after a spill on June 3 (Photo: Arno Hazebroek / HSWS)

The City of Coquitlam reported back to Hoy-Creek Watershed Society that:

June 3 - Staff attended, put out three booms at first outfall behind 2978 Walton along the trail.  Minimal flow entering creek, but it is milky coming out of outfall.  Suspect latex paint.  Checked upstream manholes and area, could not find any source.  C/B's are also full of white cotton hindering ability to see clearly into them.  Upon return to outfall, water appeared to be running more clear, so it was dissipating out, spoke with some people in area and asked if they knew of anyone doing any construction/painting in area, no luck.
 
June 3- 20:30 - another call received, caller said at the beginning of his walk this evening, the creek looked somewhat contaminated, not too noticeable.  Within the last 30 minutes, he said it has gotten 10x worse and is almost white.

Staff informed, and will attend again.  Staff reported state of creek has improved since last time at site.
 
June 4 - Booms collecting milky substance still in place.  Someone has placed plywood across the creek to dam it to collect substance, may want to remove this. Checked upstream m/h and c/b's, everything looks ok.
 
Environmental Services and Worksite Bylaw Officers were out on June 4 investigating the catch basins on White Pine Place cul-de-sac.

Unfortunately the source or culprits were not found.

If you see a spill in either Hoy or Scott Creek please call the City of Coquitlam - Municipality’s 24 hour reporting line (604) 927-3500.

Coho fry swimming in the Capilano trough at Hoy Creek Hatchery after the spill (Photo: Arno Hazebroek)

Suspect storm drain with white substance near trail by Walton Avenue (Photo: Arno Hazebroek)

Fishy Fun at 2017 Salmon Leave Home

A mother and son peek at a coho fingerling held by a HSWS volunteer at Salmon Leave Home (Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS)

And they're gone!

Coho smolts that had their start in life at the Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam are well on their way to adapting to life in the stream.  Approximately 5000 smolts were released at Hoy-Scott Watershed Society's Salmon Leave Home event on May 7th.

When ready, they will make their way from Hoy Creek to Scott Creek, then Coquitlam River, then to the Fraser River, and then on to the Straight of Georgia and the Pacific Ocean.

A father and son set to release coho smolts into Hoy Creek during Salmon Leave Home on May 7th, 2017. (Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS)

The weather was perfect for the family fun free community event, and there was a steady flow of people throughout the day.  Patrons learned about the life-cycle of the salmon, viewed hatchery facilities, and had fun building bird boxes, getting face-painted, and doing fish-crafts.  Music was provided by 98.7 The Point radio. Watershed Watch Salmon Society was also on had with crafts for the kids and education for all. Jay Peachy honoured the Kwikwetlem First Nation traditional territory and delivered the "Salmon Song" accompanied by drumming.

The highlight of the day was the release of the smolts, as children of all ages delighted in carrying young salmon in buckets from the rearing pond a short distance to release them into Hoy Creek.

Face-painting, building bird boxes, and fish crafts...

The society wishes to thank all of our hard working volunteers from Pinetree Secondary.

Over the summer things generally slow down at the hatchery, but volunteers still continue to oversee the care of some 25,000 coho fry, approximately 5 months old, who will be transferred into the rearing pond before June.

The bird box building station at Salmon Leave Home. 

See ALL of our photos from Salmon Leave Home on our Facebook album HERE.

Work also continues in the riparian areas of the watershed to ensure invasive species are reduced and native plants are thriving. A healthy riparian area ensures a healthy creek.

In July or August the society also does a stream cleanup, removing trash and debris from Scott and Hoy Creeks. To get involved, click our "Get Involved" button, or email the Society at hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com