SSI, CENTRAL Watersheds
"9194 (and 9191)" Watershed Note -
- Mt Belcher, Cranberry northward drainage area, Fulford-Ganges-Beddis Road area -
Last update 2024/04/08
SSI Central Area - overview watersheds (colour coded, CRD, 2018) & watershed note area
Central Island, "9194" (or 2024?) watershed area
From our ongoing Central Island, Freshwater Cataloguing - notes on the "9194" 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 need 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, and from our Salt Spring Island FreshWater Catalogue Watershed Stewardship Group Facebook pages, with "field note" addendums where/if additional information has become available. Additional FWC volunteer resources for this 9194 watershed area will enable us to do more!
We have no regular FWC data collected from this "9194" watershed area, and no name for this watershed, nor creek! A local volunteer effort would help establish any potential year-round flows(?) and establish chemistry baseline data, and (if these are present) an analysis of watershed surface water and groundwater baseflow(?) discharges to the sea. The latter surface/ground water flow parameters are components of any planned watershed/areal water budget or water balance calibration work, with potential uses for validating areal groundwater recharge potential models in this important Fulford Harbour (and community) watershed.
General Watershed & FWC Creek(s) Information:
The slender SW-NE oriented "9194 (and 9191)" watershed (no name) drains the northern side of the Mt Belcher - Cranberry area hills, crossing the Fulford-Ganges and Beddis roads on route, with a single creek sea-outfall close to the Salt Spring island Sailing Club (an excellent site for future 9194 watershed sampling...).
The existing map for this Cranberry Rd. - Beddis Rd. watershed area suggests some issues with local watershed boundary definitions. On the 2018 CRD watersheds map this entire area is labelled as "2024". On more detailed digital CRD maps shared for the WPS, FWC project a (the?) "9194" watershed is juxtaposed against a small "direct-storm" 9191 watershed immediately to the south. 9191 apparently starts at Beddis Rd, has no visible creek systems and may be simply be a part of 9194 (or 2024) - TBC.
Creek to-be-named creek-XVII is the single creek draining the 9194 watershed. Creek-to-be-named XVII was a February, 2022 Which Creek Is It (WCIT) competition entry, with images taken from Beddis Road in the vicinity of the Beddis Road garage and, from further upstream, our March, 2024 WCIT with images taken along the roadside from Fulford Ganges Road.
Local watershed area maps and creek images
"9194" (and 9191, or 2024?) Watershed & Creek
The 9194 watershed is small in size, 62 hectares (153 acres) in size, potentially smaller in size than the Xwaaqw'um area 9075 watershed (CENTRAL/SOUTH island), though it is also likely that the 9194 watershed is somewhat bigger (including 9191)...
According to the CRD digital GIS files the 9194 watershed is an updip continuation of the 9191 watershed (unless 9194 has a subterranean, cave system, flow bypassing 9191 and flowing direct to the coast)!
Based on a 62 Ha size the 9194 watershed as defined receives < 589,950,000 litres (155,848,000 gallons) of rainfall (precipitation, or surface water) per annum.
Creek-to-be-named XXXIX - has a surface creek outfall at the sea , though with no known records of flow (seasonal/year-round) or chemistry.
The Creek-to-be-named XXXIX creek system may play a role in controlling coastal fresh-brackish water conditions in the marine-estuarine tidal embayment associated with a nearby tombola in the Ganges harbour area.
The watersheds creek drainage system (flow, chemistry) is likely to influenced by various land modifications across the watershed area.
The 9194 watershed has < 6 subsurface wells. Well positioning may be influenced by sandstone sedimentary rocks (aquifers) in this watershed area.
Further work is required to ground-truth the 9194 creek seasonal(?) flow characteristics. Interested - contact the SSIFWC project lead.
Historical & Other Watershed Insights:
N/A
Note - any 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 Notes - Reporting:
There is insufficient FWC data to report-out on this 9194 watershed/creek area.
The 9194 Watershed would make a great, and convenient, freshwater field mapping area candidate (seasonal? flow and chemistry definition), especially for folks who are regular visitors to the Salt Spring Island Sailing club! Please contact the SSIFWC Project Lead if interested in being involved in this island watershed area.
FWC Images and Videos:
9194 watershed FWC field 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:
Unfortunately we know little about this 9194 watershed area, nor the creek system's presence/health and its' impact on the nearby coastal intertidal/tombola area to the northeast...