SSI, SOUTH Watersheds
Trench Creek (TRCK) Watershed "Notes"
- northwest, Bruce Peak area -
Last Updated: 2023/04/30
Last Updated: 2023/04/30
SSI South Area - overview watersheds (colour coded, CRD, 2018) & watershed note area
From our ongoing South Island, Freshwater Cataloguing - notes on the "TRCK" 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 from our monthly FWC "Which Creek Is It" Competition, or from our Salt Spring Island FreshWater Catalogue Watershed Stewardship Group Facebook page, with "field note" addendums where additional FWC/other information has become available. Additional volunteer resources and research for watershed notes development will enable us to do more!
We have no regular FWC data collection in this more remote Trench Creek "TRCK" watershed area (nor the adjacent 2091 watershed to the north). A local volunteer effort would help establish year-round flow(?) and chemistry baseline data, and support an analysis of watershed surface water and groundwater baseflow(?) discharge to the sea. These surface/ground water flow parameters are components of any planned watershed/areal water budget or water balance work, in this important south island Trench Creek Watershed area.
Tzu Hong Creek is one of a number located in an extensive south island "Trench Creek Watershed" area. This island watershed is one of the least (recently) modified, with significant forest cover and a larger number of wetlands. The various spurs of Trench Creek originate at/close to the northwestern edge of Bruce Hill, with associated, smaller, watershed creek systems feeding into this, from the Mt Sullivan area.
The watershed is partly protected by the Mill Farm Regional Park Reserve. Trench Creek was our March 2023 Which Creek Is It (WCIT) competition entry, with images taken from trails within the park reserve area. close to Musgrave Road.
Local watershed area maps and creek images
Trench Creek is a principle creek within the watershed, with a significant number of tributaries contributing to inflow along this creek path. This watershed creek system has a single sea discharge into Satellite Channel. Further work is required to ground-truth the area's creek systems, discharge(s) seasonal flow, chemistry in this area of the island.
The TRCK watershed is moderate to small in size, some 270 hectares (650 acres) in size (similar in size to the Reginald Hill (9117) Creek watershed in the southeastern part of the central island area).
The TRCK watershed as defined receives something like 256,500,000 litres (677,601,634 gallons) of rainfall (precipitation, or surface water) per annum.
The watershed has a very small number of wells! It is not clear if there is any local shallow water and surface creek abstraction within the watershed area.
Note - abstractions from shallow wells and surface creeks are candidates for "casual" water intake (and ecosystems!) contamination by anthropogenic activities, and it has happened, so please look after our creeks!
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.
There is insufficient FWC data to report-out on this TRCK watershed/creek area. This watershed area is ideal for a field mapping project: watershed boundary refinements, old growth (stumps) mapping, wetlands monitoring and creek systems definition/refinements.
TRCK 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.
Barnett et al., 1993., Salt Spring Island Water Allocation Plan
CRD, Salt Spring Island, Mill Farm Regional Park Reserve