Standards and Best Practices

for Instream Works

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration

Version 1.0

Other Guides in this Series

You have selected this document because your project
Guidebook Introduction
involves Habitat Enhancement and Restoration
Bank Stabilization in or about a stream. Habitat enhancement and restoration
Beaver Dam Removal works include any works in or about a watercourse designed
Bridges to restore or increase the productive capacity of aquatic or
Channel Maintenance riparian habitat. Works addressed in this Guidebook section
Culverts include:
Habitat Enhancement & Restoration • fish habitat restoration or maintenance;
Miscellaneous Works
• stream channel restoration or maintenance;
• stream channel clean-up; and/or,
Pipeline Crossings
• public beach maintenance.
Public Utility Works
When planning your project, develop designs and select
Urban Stormwater Management
locations to minimize potential impacts to fish and fish habitat.
Wharf, Pier, Dock, Boathouse & Mooring If your works are outside the scope of this Guidebook then
a MOE Approval application must be completed and DFO
Supporting Documents
contacted to determine if a review and/or Authorization
General BMPs & Standard Project under the Fisheries Act is appropriate.
Considerations
Regional Timing Windows
Contact List
B.C. Ministry of Environment Contacts
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Contacts
Glossary
MOE/DFO Notification, Approval &
Authorization Instructions & Forms
Introduction

About this document... Glossary

Before you proceed with your project you must ensure that you:
Important words,
• understand and apply the appropriate Water Act Standards to your denoted in bold text,
project; are defined in the
glossary, included as
• understand the federal Fisheries Act and ensure you are in a separate document
compliance with Section 35 of the Act which prohibits the
for download as part
Harmful Alteration, Disruption or Destruction (HADD) of fish
of this same series.
habitat and Section 36 of the Act which prohibits the release of
deleterious substances to a watercourse;
• review the appropriate DFO Pacific Region Operational Statement(s) and determine if
Operational Statement Notification and/or Authorization is appropriate;
• incorporate the applicable Best Management Practices to comply with the Standards; and,
• complete and submit a Notification, Approval and/or Authorization application for MOE
and DFO as required for your project.

Disclaimer
Information in this document is provided for guidance only. Users must apply appropriate legisla-
tion and regulations as applicable to the works in and about a stream that are being considered. It is
strongly recommended that an appropriately Qualified Professional(s) (QP) be consulted as part of
project development. Legislation and regulations should be consulted and applied as they pertain to
your project. If a discrepancy arises between this document and legislation, the legislation takes prece-
dence. Neither the Province of British Columbia nor Government of Canada guarantee the accuracy
or completeness of the information referenced herein and in no event are liable or responsible for
damages of any kind arising from its use. Note that other legislation and regulations (e.g., municipal)
may also apply to such activities and should be consulted.

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 2
How to proceed with your Habitant Enhancement and Restoration Project

The following five (5) steps will help guide you through the provincial and federal Notification, Approval
and/or Authorization process for Habitat Enhancement and Restoration works:

Step

Step

2
Step

Step

4
Step

5
Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 3
Best Management Practices

Step
The following Best Management Practices (BMPs) are methods that, if followed, will

4 help ensure your project minimizes potential impacts to fish and fish habitat and will
provide a standard level of protection to the aquatic and terrestrial environment poten-
tially affected by your project.

It is the responsibility of the proponent/developer to ensure that they are in compliance with all applicable
legislation.

There are three (3) types of BMPs you should consider:

i. General BMPs and Standard Project Considerations applicable to any project;

ii. Habitat Enhancement and Restoration specific BMPs (below); and,
iii. Supportive information applicable to project design, implementation and Habitat
Enhancement and Restoration techniques.

i. General Project BMPs and Standard Project Considerations

Please proceed to the General BMPs and Standard Project Considerations section to review consider-
ations applicable to your project.

ii. Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Specific BMPs

To achieve the required Standards and objectives that your activity must meet, apply the following BMPs
as applicable to your works.

To reduce impacts on fish and wildlife habitats and populations, your Habitat Enhancement and Restora-
tion design and implementation should consider the following:

A. Fish Habitat Restoration or Maintenance

Design
HER01 ensure General BMPs and Standard Project Considerations have been consulted and
appropriately applied prior to commencement of work;
HER02 design instream activities to coincide with low flow conditions, when eggs and alevins are
not present in gravel and when there is the least risk to fish, wildlife populations and habitats
(see Regional Timing Windows);

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 4
Best management practices: continued...

HER03 use a design created by an appropriately qualified professional and construct the works
in accordance with that design;
HER04 limit impacts to the active floodplain to those changes required for site restoration or
enhancement;
HER05 undertake habitat enhancement works only when such works can be conducted to meet
all of the following criteria:
• would not negatively impact existing fish habitat;
• would not negatively impact stream hydrology and fish habitat upstream and
downstream of the project (e.g. channel meander pattern);
• if working near or in critical habitat areas would enhance or improve them;
• any disturbances to riparian vegetation, active floodplains, ravines and instream
habitat results in benefits to fish and wildlife habitats; and,
• would not result in killing of fish.

Operational
HER06 minimize direct and indirect negative effects to other properties, roads, services or
utilities;
HER07 use natural materials, such as live vegetation and, where required, natural acid free
rock;
HER08 maintain existing wildlife access to the bank (e.g. ensure that proposed works do not
form a barrier to wildlife movement);
HER09 operate machinery, if required, outside of the stream channel to avoid disturbance to
the banks of the watercourse and Harmful Alteration, Disruption or Destruction
(HADD) of fish habitat;
HER10 retain existing instream and riparian vegetation and other features, including trees,
bushes, shrubs, weeds or tall grasses along any stream bank, mats of floating vegetation,
overhanging vegetation, natural large woody debris and large boulders;
HER11 maintain or improve the existing channel complexity by retaining or creating a diverse
mix of instream structures and overhanging vegetation;
HER12 do not disturb stream banks that can expose underlying soils, cause silt to enter the
stream or result in loss of fish habitat;
HER13 removal of material must not lead to stream channel instability or increase the risk of
sedimentation into the watercourse;
HER14 remove spoil materials in a way that ensures sediment or debris does not enter the
watercourse;

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 5
Best management practices: continued...

Post Works Mitigation

HER15 maintain effective erosion and sediment control measures until complete re-vegetation
of disturbed areas is achieved;

B. Stream Channel Restoration or Maintenance

Design
HER16 ensure General BMPs and Standard Project Considerations have been consulted and
appropriately applied prior to commencement of work;
HER17 design instream activities to coincide with low flow conditions, when eggs and alevins are
not present in gravel and when there is the least risk to fish, wildlife populations and habitats
(see General BMPs and Standard Project Considerations: Regional Timing Windows);
HER18 during project design, consider whether removal of object(s) or material from the
watercourse would cause more damage to fish and wildlife populations and habitats
than would result if the object(s)/materials are left. If the object is large and is more
than one-third buried in the stream substrates, its removal may result in a large amount
of sediment being resuspended, discharged or may result in significant changes to in-
channel habitats. Consult a Qualified Professional (QP) for changes to in-channel
habitats;
HER19 address channel maintenance by considering development of long-term solutions
to flood or debris flow risk to eliminate or reduce channel maintenance. Long-term
solutions may include:
• appropriately constructed and licensed instream sediment traps (requires
additional Water Act Approval);
• control or reduction of upstream sources of sediment;
• increased drainage control structures in the watershed;
• construction of off-line detention or retention facilities; and,
• shade trees and shrubs planted to shade out instream vegetation.

Operational
HER20 remove material only needed to alleviate flood or debris flow risk;
HER21 retain existing instream and riparian vegetation and other features, including trees,
bushes, shrubs, weeds or tall grasses along any stream bank; mats of floating vegetation;
overhanging vegetation; natural large woody debris and large boulders;
HER22 maintain or improve the existing channel complexity by retaining or creating a diverse
mix of instream structures and overhanging vegetation;
HER23 do not disturb stream banks that can expose underlying soils, cause silt to enter the
stream or result in loss of fish habitat;

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 6
Best management practices: continued...

HER24 removal of material must not lead to channel instability or increase the risk of
sedimentation into the watercourse;
HER25 remove spoil materials in a way that ensures sediment or debris does not enter the
watercourse;

Post Works Mitigation

HER26 maintain effective erosion and sediment control measures until complete re-vegetation
of the disturbed area is achieved;

C. Stream Channel Clean-up

Design
HER27 ensure General BMPs and Standard Project Considerations have been consulted and
appropriately applied prior to commencement of work;
HER28 design instream clean-up activities to coincide with low flow conditions, when eggs
and alevins are not present in gravel and when there is the least risk to fish, wildlife
populations and habitats (see General BMPs and Standard Project Considerations:
Regional Timing Windows);
HER29 ensure landowners whose properties may be affected by clean-up activities are contacted
prior to works;

Operational
HER30 avoid foul smelling areas, spills of unknown substances or containers of hazardous or
unidentified materials;
HER31 contact emergency response agencies (MOE Environmental Emergency Management
Plan incident reporting hotline 1-800-663-3456; DFO Observe, Record and Report
hotline 1-800-465-4336) or municipal crews for removal of unknown substances or
containers of hazardous or unidentified materials;
HER32 obtain permission from property owners before storing removed materials on their
property;
HER33 ensure noctural materials (e.g. logs and boulders) and overhanging vegetation remain in
the stream and only man-made material will be removed;
HER34 do not disturb stream banks that can expose underlying soils, cause silt to enter the
stream or result in loss of fish habitat;
HER35 removal of material must not lead to stream channel instability or increase the risk of
sedimentation into the watercourse;
HER36 restrict salvage activities to shallow areas and to areas well away from the watercourse
mouth;

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 7
Best management practices: continued...

HER37 consult with the water purveyer prior to works if a community water intake is located
near clean-up activities;

Post Works Mitigation

HER38 remove spoil materials to a location outside the riparian area that ensures sediment or
debris does not enter the watercourse;

D. Public Beach Maintenance

Design
HER39 ensure General BMPs and Standard Project Considerations have been consulted and
appropriately applied prior to, during and after commencement of work;
HER40 maintenance activities must adhere to Regional Timing Windows to prevent disruption
of fish and wildlife habitat.

Operational
HER41 place new beach material on a flat, gently sloping area of the beach to prevent this
material from entering the watercourse;
HER42 avoid placement of beach material in a manner that obstructs or concentrates runoff
from adjacent upland areas to the watercourse;
HER43 ensure beach material is clean (i.e. free of debris, silt, organic material or other
contaminants);
HER44 ensure beach material is not taken from below the high water mark (HWM) of any
watercourse;
HER45 avoid machinery activity or placement of beach material in areas of known fish spawning
habitat;
HER46 operate machinery, if required, on land above the high water mark (HWM) and in a
manner that minimizes disturbance to the banks of the watercourse;
HER47 removal of dead aquatic vegetation that has washed onshore may occur by hand;

Post works mitigation

HER48 stabilize vegetative waste material above the high water mark (HWM) to prevent it
from entering the watercourse; and,
HER49 restore banks to the original condition if any distrubance from machinery occurs.

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 8
Supportive Information

iii. Supportive Information

The following sources provide you with additional planning, design, implementation and review advice for
a variety of project-specific activities. Please follow the appropriate links to obtain further information on
your project specific activity.

General Considerations
Pacific Region Operational Statements
http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/decisionsupport/os/operational_statements_e.htm

Develop with Care: Environmental Guidelines for Urban and Rural Land Development
in British Columbia
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/bmp/devwithcare2006/develop_with_care_intro.html

The Streamkeepers Handbook: A Practical Guide To Stream And Wetland Care

http://www.stewardshipcentre.bc.ca/publications/pdf/StreamkeepersHandbookandModules.pdf

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration Design & Techniques

Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/stream_restoration/newtofc.htm

Fish Habitat Rehabilitation Procedures, Watershed Restoration Technical Circular No. 9

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/wrp/wrtc_9.pdf

The British Columbia Watershed Restoration Program: Summary of the Experimental

Design, Monitoring and Restoration Techniques Workshop (Table 3)
http://www.isu.edu/~keelerne/k_w94.pdf

Guidelines for Planning Watershed Restoration Projects

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/ffip/Johnston_NT1995.pdf

Watershed Restoration Planning and Priority Setting: An Emphasis on Fish Habitat

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/fia_docs/rev_WLplan21.pdf

Project Specific Design & Techniques

Public Beach Maintenance, Pacific Region Operational Statement
http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/decisionsupport/os/os-beach_e.htm

Fish habitat enhancement, a manual for freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/HFD/Library/FFIP/Envirowest1990.pdf

Restoring Wetlands in Washington: A Guidebook for Wetland Restoration, Planning &

Implementation
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/93017.html

Riparian Revegetation
http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/publications/pdf/revegcol_e.pdf

A Large Woody Debris Anchoring System for Sites With Limited Access
http://www.forrex.org/streamline/ISS16/vol5no2.pdf

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 9
MOE/DFO Notification, Approval & Authorization

Step
If you determine that your project requires notification and/or approval from MOE or DFO,

5 please ensure that MOE and/or DFO application instructions are followed and forms com-
pleted and sent to the appropriate agency.

The latest application instructions and forms for MOE and DFO can be found at
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/BMP/

Habitat Enhancement & Restoration – Standards and Best Practices for Instream Works 10