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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Natural Processes for the Restoration of Dam Removal Disturbances
Author(s)
David Franklin Polster
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DOI:10.17265/2162-5263/2017.11.004
Affiliation(s)
Polster Environmental Services Ltd. Duncan, BC V9L 2G5, Canada
ABSTRACT
The Heber River Diversion Dam (Heber
Dam) and 3.6 km penstock on Vancouver island, British Columbia, Canada was built in 1953 and by 2009, it had reached the
end of its useful life due to the deteriorated wooden structures. A decision
was taken to remove the dam, return the flows in the Heber River to pre-dam
conditions and restore the footprint of the dam and penstock. Plans were
developed for removal of the dam and contaminated materials including the
creosote coated wooden penstock and other wooden structures associated with the
dam and site restoration. Work on removal and restoration was undertaken over
the summer and fall of 2012 and the spring of 2013. Restoration treatments were
based on the use of natural processes as a model for recovery. The recovery of
dam and penstock removal disturbances was initiated in the late summer and fall
of 2012 with the fall dispersal of seeds from mature pioneering species that
formed a significant part of the local undisturbed vegetation. This paper
describes the treatments that were applied to enhance the natural recovery of
the disturbed areas and the results of those treatments. The restoration
treatments were designed to address the filters that were present in project
areas. These were identified during an initial inspection in 2009 and were
centred on compaction of substrates and a lack of micro-sites. In addition to
the use of natural processes for the restoration of project disturbances, a
local First Nations crew was hired to transplant sword ferns (Polystichum
munitum (Kaulf.) C. Presl)
from the adjacent forest areas onto project sites to provide a social benefit
from the restoration work.
KEYWORDS
Natural processes, dam removal.
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