SSI, CENTRAL Watersheds
9119 Watershed "Notes"
- Grandmother Tree Area, Accessed from Beaver Pt Rd -
LAST UPDATE 2024/01/16
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SSI Central Area - overview watersheds (colour coded, CRD, 2018) & watershed note area
Central Island, 9119 ("GrandMother Tree") Watershed
Central Island, 9119 ("GrandMother Tree") Watershed
From our ongoing Central Island, Freshwater Cataloguing - notes on the 9119 ("Grandmother Tree") watershed area. Cf. the SSI FWC webmap for field locations and charted information (where available).
The content of these "Notes" entries is dependant on the information that is currently available, from FWC volunteer work, FWC reporting or from other sources. We do need field volunteers in this area.
Note - if you have additional insights into this area (the watershed, it's creeks or wetlands), can help with site(s) access, or are interested in being involved in data collection for this project area, please contact the SSIFWC Project Lead.
For now these notes draw heavily extracts from our monthly FWC "Which Creek Is It" Competition, from our Salt Spring Island FreshWater Catalogue Watershed Stewardship Group Facebook page, with "field note" addendums where additional information has become available. Additional project and/or area volunteer resources will enable us to do more!
The data collected from any FWC field work in the 9119 watershed would gather year-round flow and chemistry baseline data, investigating seasonal watershed surface water flows and groundwater baseflow(?) discharge to the sea . Key components of monitoring overall groundwater health, a key component to any watershed, or areal water budget/water balance, and input to validating groundwater recharge potential models.
General Watershed & FWC Creek(s) Information:
General Watershed & FWC Creek(s) Information:
The 9119 watershed is located in the central Island area. This watershed area contains no known year round (perennial creek flow), a very limited number of (ephemeral?) creeks, and patchy "mature" forest ecosystems. There is no public information available on the seasonal (or perennial) flow in this watershed's contributing creek catchment areas.
A small, ephemeral creek in the south part of the 9119 watershed, Lightwater Cove area, was a July, 2023 Which Creek Is It (WCIT) competition image entry.
9119 watershed overview (Lidar backdrop), various ephemeral creek images. Geology map (Greenwood & Mihalynuk, 2019)
The 9119 watershed is a medium-small sized island watershed, some 321 hectares (793.2 acres) in size, similar in size to the south island, "north Mill Farm" 2091 watershed.
The 9119 watershed receives something like 2,119,450,000 litres (559,899,720 gallons) of rainfall (precipitation, or surface water) per annum.
The watershed has a moderate number of subsurface wells (< 75). The apparent absence of (known) surface off-takes is consistent with the apparent absence of significant standing bodies of water or perennial creeks.
The 9119 watershed area is largely a mix of immature forest ecosystems and rural residential developments.
The subsurface geology of the entire watershed is largely underpinned by igneous rocks (Saltspring Intrusions - granite & granodiorite).
Historical & Other Watershed Insights:
Historical & Other Watershed Insights:
Anecdotally... a significant part of this watershed area (which now contains a single... Grantmother Tree) was agricultural land set aside for Salt Spring Island's many orchards, with a line-of-site from Beaver Point Hall to the sea! The area includes a Raymond M. Goodall (Garry Oak Systems) Ecological Land Reserve (Cf. TLC website).
Note - any other local insights, or interested in contributing to the historical/other notes on our islands' watersheds, please contact the SSIFWC Project Lead.
FWC "Citizen Science" Watershed Reporting:
FWC "Citizen Science" Watershed Reporting:
As at 2023/09 we have very little FWC data from the 9119 watershed area.
The 9119 watershed is a variable, natural and heavily modified area of moderate-low surface relief, with no known year-round creeks(???) and yet (apparently) has a reasonable freshwater supply for both the natural systems present and for the community (including agriculture)….
The apparent absence of year-round surface water flow in the 9119 watershed area may be attributable to underlying "bedrock" aquifers of igneous rocks (Saltspring Intrusions, granite & granodiorite). Fracture networks in these mechanically strong bed rocks may be extensive, as visible along the coastal rock outcrops in this area.
FWC Images and Videos:
FWC Images and Videos:
9119 (Grandmother Tree) watershed images. Note - all FreshWater Catalogue images & videos copywrite belongs with the WPS and the FWC. We are grateful for due acknowledgement of copywrite in any use or publication of these educational resources.
Other Local Area Resources:
Other Local Area Resources:
Greenwood, H. J., & Mihalynuk, M. G., 2009., BC Geological Survey, Open File 2009-11 Salt Spring Island Geology.
TLC The Land Conservancy of British Columbia, Raymond M. Goodall Ecological Land Reserve
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