Fish Kill Reported in Hoy Creek

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The Hoy/Scott Watershed Society was advised by the City of Coquitlam that they were notified today of a fish kill reported on June 28 through the Observe Record Report (ORR) phone line by a member of the public stating that "approximately 100 dead fish were seen on the bottom of Hoy Creek near the intersection of Glen Drive and Johnson Street. The caller noted no evidence of signs of pollution, sediment or signs of potential causes of death."

"City Environment Division attended the site between 1:50 – 2:15 pm this afternoon and located approximately 25 dead salmonid fry-sized fish in a 10m stretch of slower water accessible from the trail about 30 metres downstream from the Glen Drive culverts. No dead fish were visible upstream from the culverts. The water at the location where the dead fish were seen was clear, and no smells or other evidence of pollutants were noted. City Drainage staff attended the site between 2:30 – 2:53 pm and were not able to locate any oil or turbidity in the creek. Drainage staff noted that they saw fish swimming around the creek."

Anyone with any information can email us at hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com. Should you see a spill or dead fish in the stream, please contact the authorities. Here's more information on who to reach out to via our Contact page.

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.

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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.

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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.

Hoy Creek Spill Quickly Contained

Coquitlam, BC — On July 23 another spill was reported to the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society.

The white substance appeared to be paint and entered Hoy Creek through the storm drain between White Line cul de sac and Walton Ave, just before the wooden foot bridge north of the hatchery.

The spill was reported to Coquitlam Engineering at approximately 10:45 a.m. and representatives were on site 15 minutes later. They installed pads to absorb the spill. The area was contained and did not affect the lower creek or hatchery. See more photos on our Facebook page.

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

• Email Hoy/Scott Watershed Society at hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com or message via us Facebook.