coarse habitat pre and post-hydroelectric development...ritchie 1.0 17-jun-15 ecostem ltd. created...

Upper ChurchillTerrestrialRegion

TadouleLake

LakeShethanei

NelsonRiver Fox LakeCree Nation

York FactoryFirst NationWar LakeFirst NationIlford (NAC)

TataskweyakCree Nation

BradshawTerrestrialRegionSouthern IndianTerrestrialRegion

Southern IndianTerrestrialRegion

RCEAArea 3

Kelsey G.S.

LongSpruceG.S.KettleG.S.KeeyaskG.S.

290

280

280

280

280280

280

280

Lake

BreastL

Ashley

PottNoguyLake

LakeLifebuoy

Lake

Legary

ParagonLake

WalfordLakeLake

Wishart

Lake

OldmanCurrie

Lake

Wood

NorthernLake

LakeThorsteinson

GauerRiver

Lake

LakeJensen

Warnews

R

LRockStrong Lake

OrrOdei

Lake

LPearson

Blank

RLakeStone

Campbell

White

Lake

Lake

KiaskLHandle

LakeWernham

Hood

Lake

Indian

Lake

KnifeheadLake

LakeLake

Blyth

NorthKnife

Drift

L R

QuinnLakeLakeLovat

TraerLake

BeganiliAllanLake

Lake

PisewLakeEtawneyLake

Naykow

River

Lake

FidlerLake

SetteeLake

ChristieL

LakePelletier

Clay

R River

AsseanLake

River

LakeHunting

River

Hunting

LakeLake

BissetCaldwell

LakeThomasL

Holmes

Lake

Churchill

Solmundsson

LakeKotchapaw

Buckland

KnifeSouthLake

North

FabasLakeLakeNichol

NaresLake

Condie

EinarsonLake

Lake

GylesLake

MinikwakunisLake

Beaver

LakeFreeman

River

RBieber

Assaikwatamo

Hale

LakeWaskaiowaka

River

Aiken

Split

Fox

LakeCrying

L

Little

RecluseLake

R

Lake LakeEmbleton

L

Billard

HoggMountain

Rapids

TheFours

River

LakeComeau

Gersham

Creek

Matonabee

Skromeda

Knife

Creek

South

KnightLakeMack

Braden

L

Lake

RapidsSwallow

Churchill

LimestoneLake

Nelson BirthdayRapids

River Kettle

LakeButnau

LakeJean

GullLake

Wasagamow

L

River

Lakes

Bradshaw

Rapids

ChurchillRiverLake Cache

KilnabadRapids

LakeWise

Herriot

Knife

DickensLake

TeepeeFallsRiver River

LakeLofthouse

Heppell

Creek

BishopLake

MunkLRankine

Laforte

Crosswell

Bad

Lake

TurcotteDeer L

Deer

Whiting

MistakeL

L

LakeWhitecap

CygnetCygnetLittle

LL

Limestone

Stephens

AtkinsonL

KettleLake

WilsonR

Lake

River

LMyre

Strobus LWeir

Lake

LongLake

LLakeOwl

Fly

River

River

LandingHead

Ck

Red PlaceRapids

Running

Rapids

RiverCreek

L LWarkworth

Creek

Alston

LimestoneRapidsRiver

Dog

Ck

Moose

Horn

Lost

Cooper

Weir

KettleLongSpruce

AnglingCreek

Rapids

North

Warkworth

1.0

08-OCT-15

ECOSTEM Ltd.

Created By: snitowski - B Size Portrait BTB - MAR 2015 Scale: 1:840,000

01-DEC-15

File Location: Z:\Workspaces\RCEA\Habitat OffSystem\Coarse Habitat Bradshaw Region.mxd

Hudson Bay

Thompson

Winnipeg

Churchill

Regional Cumulative Effects AssessmentNAD 1983 UTM Zone 14N

0 10 20 Kilometers

0 7.5 15 Miles

DATA SOURCE:

DATE CREATED:

CREATED BY:

VERSION NO:

REVISION DATE:

QA/QC:

COORDINATE SYSTEM:

Manitoba Hydro; Government of Manitoba; Government of Canada;ECOSTEM Ltd.; Habitat based on 2005 MTLCC 250m Map. Coarse Habitat Pre andPost-Hydroelectric Development

Bradshaw Terrestrial Region

LegendTerrestrial RegionRCEA Region of Interest

Coarse Habitat from Classified Satellite ImageryBroadleaf Treed MixedwoodOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Lichen-bedrock UnderstoreyOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Shrub UnderstoreyOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin Peatland with Lichen-shrub-herb UnderstoreyOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin Peatland with Shrub-moss UnderstoreyOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Wet PeatlandOpen to Semi-closed Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to MineralOpen to Semi-closed Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin PeatlandSemi-open Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Lichen-shrub UnderstoreySemi-open Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Moss-shrub UnderstoreySparse Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Herb-shrub UnderstoreyClosed Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to MineralClosed Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin or Wet PeatlandClosed, Young Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin PeatlandJack Pine Treed on Mineral or Thin PeatlandNeedleleaf Treed on Mineral to Shallow PeatlandNeedleleaf Treed on Mineral to Shallow Peatland with Herb-shrub-lichen-bare UnderstoreyNeedleleaf Treed on Mineral to Shallow Peatland with Shrub-herb-lichen-bare UnderstoreyNeedleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin PeatlandNeedleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin Peatland with Herb-shrub UnderstoreyNeedleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin Peatland with Intermediate AgePolar Grassland, Herb-shrubMix of Water and Black Spruce Treed on Shallow to Thin PeatlandMix of Water, Marsh and Black Spruce Treed on Thin PeatlandMarsh with Substantial Proportions of Water and Black Spruce Treed on Thin PeatlandYoung Regengerating, Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin or Wet PeatlandYoung Regengerating, Semi-open Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to MineralWater

InfrastructureGenerating Station (Existing)

Generating Station (Under Construction)

HighwayRailTransmission Line (Existing)Transmission Line (Under Construction)

Map 6.3.5-2

REGIONAL CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENT – PHASE II LAND – TERRESTRIAL HABITAT

DECEMBER 2015 6.3-264

Shoreline Ecosystems

Shoreline ecosystems in the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region were virtually unaffected by human infrastructure development prior to the CRD. Human features coming close to or crossing the Rat-Burntwood and Lower Churchill River Systems were limited to the HBR (which extended through the eastern edge of the terrestrial region).

Based on estimates from 1:50,000 NTS data (see Section 6.3.1.5.5 for the limitations of these data), the pre-hydroelectric development Bradshaw Terrestrial Region included approximately 184,137 ha of surface water and 300,778 km of shorelines, that provided potential shore zone and offshore wetland habitat. Detailed habitat mapping was not available for this terrestrial region. A portion of the 6% of fen cover identified in the SLC mapping likely included shoreline wetlands, but as mentioned above, the small map scale likely did not allow detection of most of the narrow shoreline wetland features in the terrestrial region. As in other terrestrial regions, the vegetated shoreline wetland percentage would have fluctuated from year to year in these dynamic ecosystems.

Waterbodies that would eventually be affected by the CRD contributed less than 4% (6,777 ha) of the surface water area and 1% (657 km) of the shoreline length. Nearly all of this shoreline was in the Churchill River mainstem (91%; Table 6.3.5-3). Small rivers provided the remaining 9% of shoreline length.

Pre-development shore zone habitat mapping was not available for this terrestrial region (Maps 6.3.5-3 and 6.3.5-4).

Table 6.3.5-3: Waterbody Type along the Pre-Hydroelectric Development and Existing Environment Shorelines in the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region of the Taiga Shield Ecozone

Waterbody Type

Pre-Hydroelectric Development Existing Environment

Length (km) Percentage of Length Length (km) Percentage of

Length

River 263 91 267 91

Small river 25 9 25 9

Total 288 100 292 100

Notes: Subtotals may not appear to reflect sum due to rounding.

WeirRiver

Lawledge

Herchmer

LakeLovat

AllanLake

PisewLake

EtawneyLake

Little

NaykowLake

SetteeLake

ChristieL

LakeBisset

Caldwell

LakeThomasL

Holmes

Lake

Churchill

Solmundsson

Lake

LakeKotchapaw

Buckland

KnifeSouthLake

North

Fabas

L

Lake

Thousin

LakeNichol

NaresLake

Condie

EinarsonLake

Lake

GylesLake

MinikwakunisLake

Beaver

LakeFreeman

River

RBieber

Assaikwatamo

Little

RecluseLake

R

LakeLakeEmbleton

L

Billard

Hogg

MountainRapids

TheFours

River

LakeComeau

Gersham

Creek

Matonabee

Skromeda

Knife

Creek

South

KnightLake

Mack

Braden

L

Lake

RapidsSwallow

Churchill

Wasagamow

L

River

Lakes

Bradshaw

Rapids


KilnabadRapids

LakeWise

Herriot

Knife

DickensLake

TeepeeFalls

Langille

River

Creek

Nowell

River

Lake

LakeLofthouse

Heppell

Creek

BishopLake

MunkLRankine

Laforte

Crosswell

Bad

Lake

TurcotteDeer L

Deer

Whiting

MistakeL

L

Lake

Whitecap

Cygnet

CygnetLittle

LL

River

LMyre

Strobus LWeir

Lake

LongLake

L

LakeOwl

Fly

River

River

LandingHead

Ck

Red PlaceRapids

Running

Rapids

RiverCreek

HolcraftL

BayL

L

Farnworth

Warkworth

Creek

Alston

LimestoneRapids

River

Dog

Ck

Moose

Horn

Lost

Cooper

Weir

Creek

Warkworth

Ritchie

BradshawTerrestrial

Region

Upper ChurchillTerrestrial

Region

1.0

17-JUN-15

ECOSTEM Ltd.


18-NOV-15

File Location: Z:\Workspaces\RCEA\Habitat Regulated System\Bank Material Bradshaw Region Pre.mxd

Hudson Bay

Thompson

Winnipeg

Churchill


0 7.5 15 Kilometers

0 6 12 Miles

DATA SOURCE:

DATE CREATED:

CREATED BY:

VERSION NO:

REVISION DATE:

QA/QC:

COORDINATE SYSTEM:

Manitoba Hydro; Government of Manitoba; Government of Canada;ECOSTEM Ltd. Bank MaterialPre-Hydroelectric Development



Bank MaterialBedrockClayClay on Low BedrockGravel

PeatSandSand on ClayUnknown

Transmission Line (Existing)Transmission Line (Under Construction)Rail

Post-Hydroelectric Infrastructure

Map 6.3.5-3

BradshawTerrestrial

Region


Region

WeirRiver

Lawledge

Herchmer

LakeLovat

AllanLake

PisewLake

EtawneyLake

Little

NaykowLake

SetteeLake

ChristieL

LakeBisset

LakeThomasL

Holmes

Lake

Churchill

Solmundsson

Lake

LakeKotchapaw

Buckland

KnifeSouthLake

North

Fabas

L

Lake

Thousin

LakeNichol

NaresLake

Condie

EinarsonLake

Lake

GylesLake

MinikwakunisLake

LakeFreeman

River

RBieber

Assaikwatamo

Little

RecluseLake

R

LakeLakeEmbleton

L

Billard

Hogg

MountainRapids

TheFours

River

LakeComeau

Gersham

Creek

Matonabee

Skromeda

Knife

Creek

South

KnightLake

Mack

Braden

L

Lake

RapidsSwallow

Churchill

Wasagamow

L

River

Lakes

Bradshaw

Rapids


KilnabadRapids

LakeWise

Herriot

Knife

DickensLake

TeepeeFalls

Langille

River

Creek

Nowell

River

Lake

LakeLofthouse

Heppell

Creek

BishopLake

MunkLRankine

Laforte

Crosswell

Bad

Lake

TurcotteDeer L

Deer

Whiting

MistakeL

L

Lake

Whitecap

Cygnet

CygnetLittle

LL

LMyre

Strobus LWeir

Lake

LongLake

L

LakeOwl

Fly

River

River

LandingHead

Ck

Red PlaceRapids

Running

Rapids

RiverCreek

HolcraftL

BayL

L

Farnworth

Warkworth

Creek

Alston

LimestoneRapids

River

Dog

Ck

Moose

Horn

Lost

Cooper

Weir

Creek

Beale

Warkworth

Ritchie

1.0

17-JUN-15

ECOSTEM Ltd.


18-NOV-15

File Location: Z:\Workspaces\RCEA\Habitat Regulated System\Shore Wetland Bradshaw Region Pre.mxd

Hudson Bay

Thompson

Winnipeg

Churchill


0 7.5 15 Kilometers

0 6 12 Miles

DATA SOURCE:

DATE CREATED:

CREATED BY:

VERSION NO:

REVISION DATE:

QA/QC:

COORDINATE SYSTEM:

Manitoba Hydro; Government of Manitoba; Government of Canada;ECOSTEM Ltd. Shore Zone Wetland TypePre-Hydroelectric Development



Shore Wetland ClassRiparian PeatlandModerately Wide to Wide MarshShallow WaterUnknown

Post-Hydroelectric InfrastructureTransmission Line (Existing)Transmission Line (Under Construction)Rail

Map 6.3.5-4


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-267

AFTER HYDROELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT

Terrestrial Habitat Composition

Infrastructure development during the hydroelectric development period directly removed approximately 261 ha, or 0.02%, of native terrestrial habitat in the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region (Intactness, Section 6.2.6.1.1). Dewatering resulting from the CRD exposed an additional 1,437 ha of land area. The indirect effects of all human infrastructure development and dewatering were estimated to have altered an additional 1,880 ha, or 0.1%, of terrestrial habitat as of 2013 (see Section 6.3.1.5.1. for discussion of the potential indirect effects).

Hydroelectric development contributed 98% of the direct habitat loss and 97% of the indirect habitat effects in this terrestrial region. Transmission line development was responsible for all of the native habitat loss during the hydroelectric development period.

The terrestrial habitat types from classified satellite imagery most affected by all forms of infrastructure development in this terrestrial region included open needleleaf treed vegetation with lichen-bedrock understorey on shallow peatland to mineral soil and semi-open needleleaf treed with lichen-shrub understorey on shallow peatland to mineral soil. Dewatered area habitat mapping was not completed for the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region.

Transmission lines, which were the largest contributor to the very small hydroelectric footprint, typically affected all types of ecosites because they were not preferentially located on upland terrain. The direct and indirect effects of transmission lines on terrestrial habitat were less than from other human footprint types since the associated effects were generally limited to clearing taller vegetation, whereas other footprint types typically included soil excavation and a permanent infrastructure cover. Indirect effects from dewatering are ongoing, and result from the shift of the pre-CRD terrestrial habitat edge toward the new normal high water line.

Ecosystem Diversity

All of the ecosystem diversity effects in the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region were related to hydroelectric development, which comprised 98% of the human development in the terrestrial region as of 2013.

Transmission lines comprised 15% of the human footprint in the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region as of 2013. Transmission lines tend to affect a wider variety of habitat types than other types of linear infrastructure because their construction is less constrained by terrain.

It was unlikely that habitat loss during the hydroelectric development period had any substantial effects on ecosystem diversity in the areas outside of the regulated system shore zone due to the extremely small human footprint (which is the amount of direct terrestrial habitat loss and alteration; see Shoreline Ecosystems section below for on-system effects of dewatering). While the developing terrestrial habitat in the dewatered areas may eventually offset some of the effects of inland developments occurring on mineral sites as they revegetated, they would not offset effects on inland wetland habitat types.


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-268

Wetland Function

As indicated earlier, wetland function metrics were based on the detailed terrestrial habitat mapping, which is not available for this terrestrial region.

The Churchill transmission line and the HBR line extending through the terrestrial region affected wetlands inland of the lower Churchill River shore zone. While the HBR would have removed wetlands within its footprint, the transmission line would have left short vegetation, and in most cases would have simply altered wetlands rather than removing them. Dewatering in the lower Churchill River also may have indirectly affected wetlands adjacent to or near the river banks because of a lowered water table. While detailed mapping was not available to quantify these effects, they are expected to be minimal on regional wetland function due to the very small size of the human footprint relative to regional wetland area.


The CRD was the major hydroelectric development on the Churchill River system in the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region. Most of the potential effects on shoreline ecosystems were due to dewatering, with the remainder being from transmission and railway lines crossing small waterways. Examples of changes due to dewatering were upland and shore zone vegetation colonization of the new permanently or regularly exposed area, and growth of more woody and shade-tolerant vegetation in the higher elevations of the former shore zone due to a lower water table. Dewatered area mapping in the other terrestrial regions suggested an increase in upland habitat types as vegetation established on exposed mineral terraces and riverbeds. As indicated by initial post-hydroelectric development mapping, tall shrub cover was beginning to expand outward from the pre-CRD terrestrial habitat shoreline eight years following dewatering, and tall shrubs were beginning to establish on the newly exposed terraces.

Based on estimates from NTS data, dewatering resulting from the CRD decreased regulated system surface water area from approximately 6,777 to 5,339 ha, and increased shoreline length from 288 km to 293 km (see Sections 6.3.1.5.5 for the limitations of these data). The increase in shoreline length was likely due to new shoreline areas created around exposed islands and mineral terraces following dewatering, but the small increase in shoreline length may also be within the range of error for mapping.

Shore zone wetland mapping was not available for most of the terrestrial region. For the RCEA, one or more existing environment shore zone attributes were mapped for 9% of the shoreline (28 km of shoreline at the eastern side of the terrestrial region; Map 6.3.5-3) from high resolution satellite imagery (acquisition dates not readily available). Based on visual examination of the shoreline in the remote sensing, water levels were close to immediately prior median levels. As there was no overlap between pre-hydroelectric development and existing environment mapping, the following information cannot be used to draw comparisons with the pre-CRD shoreline. The results reported below are for the entire existing environment mapped shoreline.

Gravel bank materials were predominant along the mapped shoreline (89%; Table 6.3.5-4, Map 6.3.5-5). The remainder of the banks were clay, either overlying bedrock (9%) or as a pure type (2%).


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-269

Open water made up all the shoreline in the mapped area (Table 6.3.5-5; Map 6.3.5-6). Based on the consistency of the post-CRD river channel through this region, the mapped area was expected to be broadly representative of the lower Churchill River in the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region.

Offshore emergent or floating-leaved vegetation occurred along 12% of the mapped shoreline, consisting of marsh in various widths (Table 6.3.5-6; offshore wetlands mapped for 10% of the shoreline).

As of 2013, no debris was identified along the mapped portions of the shoreline (Table 6.3.5-7; Map 6.3.5-7; shoreline debris mapped for 9% of the shoreline).

Table 6.3.5-4: Bank Material Composition of the Pre-Hydroelectric Development and Existing Environment Classified Large River Shorelines of the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region for Overlapping Areas

Bank Material


Length (km)

Percentage of Mapped Shoreline

Length (km)


Clay on bedrock - - 3 9

Clay - - 0 2

Gravel - - 25 89

Total - 28 Notes: Values of “0” indicate a number that rounds to zero. Values of “-” indicate an absence. Subtotals may not appear to reflect sum due to rounding.

Lawledge

Herchmer

LakeLovat

AllanLake

Lake

PisewLake

EtawneyLake

Little

NaykowLake

SetteeLake

ChristieL

LakeBisset

Caldwell

LakeThomasL

Holmes

Lake

Churchill

Solmundsson

Lake

LakeKotchapaw

Buckland

KnifeSouthLake

North

Fabas

L

Lake

Thousin

LakeNichol

NaresLake

Condie

EinarsonLake

Lake

GylesLake

MinikwakunisLake

Beaver

LakeFreeman

River

RBieber

Assaikwatamo

Little

RecluseLake

R

LakeLakeEmbleton

L

Billard

Hogg

MountainRapids

TheFours

River

LakeComeau

Gersham

Creek

Matonabee

Skromeda

Knife

Creek

South

KnightLake

Mack

Braden

L

Lake

RapidsSwallow

Churchill

Wasagamow

L

River

Lakes

Bradshaw

Rapids


KilnabadRapids

LakeWise

Herriot

Knife

DickensLake

TeepeeFalls

Langille

River

Creek

Nowell

River

Lake

LakeLofthouse

Heppell

Creek

BishopLake

MunkLRankine

Laforte

Crosswell

Bad

Lake

TurcotteDeer L

Deer

Whiting

MistakeL

L

Lake

Whitecap

Cygnet

CygnetLittle

LL

River

LMyre

Strobus LWeir

Lake

LongLake

L

LakeOwl

Fly

River

River

LandingHead

Ck

Red PlaceRapids

Running

Rapids

RiverCreek

HolcraftL

Bay L

L

Farnworth

Warkworth

Creek

Alston

LimestoneRapids

River

Dog

Ck

Moose

Horn

Lost

Cooper

Weir

Creek

Warkworth

BradshawTerrestrial

Region


Region

1.0

17-JUN-15

ECOSTEM Ltd.


01-DEC-15

File Location: Z:\Workspaces\RCEA\Habitat Regulated System\Bank Material Bradshaw Region Post.mxd

Hudson Bay

Thompson

Winnipeg

Churchill


0 7.5 15 Kilometers

0 6 12 Miles

DATA SOURCE:

DATE CREATED:

CREATED BY:

VERSION NO:

REVISION DATE:

QA/QC:

COORDINATE SYSTEM:

Manitoba Hydro; Government of Manitoba; Government of Canada;ECOSTEM Ltd. Bank MaterialPost-Hydroelectric Development



BankClayClay on BedrockGravelUnknown

InfrastructureTransmission Line (Existing)Transmission Line (Under Construction)Rail

Map 6.3.5-5


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-271

Table 6.3.5-5: Shore Zone Wetland Composition of the Pre-Hydroelectric Development and Existing Environment Classified Large River Shorelines of the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region for Mapped Areas

Shore Zone Wetland Type


Length (km)


Length (km)


Open water - - 28 100

Total -

28

Notes: Values of “-” indicate an absence.

Table 6.3.5-6: Offshore Wetland Composition of the Pre-Hydroelectric Development and Existing Environment Classified Large River Shorelines of the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region for Overlapping Areas

Offshore Wetland Type


Length (km)


Length (km)


Narrow marsh - - 1 1

Moderately wide marsh - - 25 11

None - - 204 89

Total -

230

Notes: Values of “-” indicate an absence. Subtotals may not appear to reflect sum due to rounding.

Table 6.3.5-7: Shoreline Debris Accumulation and Distribution along the Pre-Hydroelectric Development and Existing Environment Classified Large River Shorelines of the Bradshaw Terrestrial Region for Overlapping Areas

Shoreline debris accumulation

Shore segment coverage


Length (km)

Percentage of Length

Length (km)

Percentage of Length

None - - - 28 100

Total length mapped (km) -

28

Notes: Values of “-” indicate an absence.

NelsonRiver Fox LakeCree Nation


BradshawTerrestrialRegionUpper ChurchillTerrestrialRegion

Long Spruce G.S.

LimestoneG.S.

KettleG.S.

280

290280 280

280Jacam

Bird

WeirRiver

Lawledge

Herchmer

Amery

Lake

Indian

KnifeheadLake

R

LakeLovat

TraerLake

BeganiliAllanLake

Lake

PisewLake

EtawneyLake

LittleNaykow

River

Lake

Fidler

Lake

SetteeLake

ChristieL

LakePelletier

LakeLake

BissetCaldwell

LakeThomasL

Holmes

Lake

Churchill

Solmundsson

Lake

LakeKotchapaw

Buckland

KnifeSouthLake

North

Fabas

L

Lake

Thousin

LakeNichol

NaresLake

Condie

EinarsonLake

Lake

GylesLake

MinikwakunisLake

Beaver

LakeFreeman

River

RBieber

Assaikwatamo

Hale

LakeWaskaiowaka

LakeCrying

L

Little

RecluseLake

R

Lake LakeEmbleton

L

Billard

Hogg

MountainRapids

TheFours

River

LakeComeau

Gersham

Creek

Matonabee

Skromeda

Knife

Creek

South

KnightLakeMack

Braden

L

Lake

RapidsSwallow

Churchill

LimestoneLake

Wasagamow

L

River

Lakes

Bradshaw

Rapids


KilnabadRapids

LakeWise

Herriot

Knife

DickensLake

TeepeeFalls

Langille

River

Creek

Nowell

River

Lake

LakeLofthouse

Heppell

Creek

BishopLake

MunkLRankine

Laforte

Crosswell

Bad

Lake

TurcotteDeer L

Deer

Whiting

MistakeL

L

LakeWhitecap

Cygnet

CygnetLittle

LL

Limestone

StephensLake

River

LMyre

Strobus LWeir

Lake

LongLake

L

LakeOwl

Fly

River

River

LandingHead

Ck

Red PlaceRapids

Running

Rapids

RiverCreek

HolcraftL

BayButtonL

L

Farnworth

Warkworth

Creek

Alston

LimestoneRapids

River

Dog

Ck

Moose

Horn

Lost

Cooper

Weir

River

Creek

Silcox

OwlCreek

Hoot

Beale

Kelsey

Lake

Creek

Fletcher

Warkworth

Hannah

LakeRitchieTwinLakes

Lake

1.0

14-OCT-15

ECOSTEM Ltd.


18-NOV-15

File Location: Z:\Workspaces\RCEA\Habitat Regulated System\Shore Wetland Bradshaw Region Post.mxd

Hudson Bay

Thompson

Winnipeg

Churchill


0 8.5 17 Kilometers

0 7 14 Miles

DATA SOURCE:

DATE CREATED:

CREATED BY:

VERSION NO:

REVISION DATE:

QA/QC:

COORDINATE SYSTEM:

Manitoba Hydro; Government of Manitoba; Government of Canada;ECOSTEM Ltd. Shore Zone Wetland TypePost-Hydroelectric Development



Shore Wetland ClassShallow WaterUnknown

InfrastructureTransmission Line (Existing)Transmission Line (Under Construction)HighwayRail

Map 6.3.5-6

BradshawTerrestrial

Region


Region

WeirRiver

Lawledge

Herchmer

LakeLovat

AllanLake

PisewLake

EtawneyLake

Little

NaykowLake

SetteeLake

ChristieL

LakeBisset

LakeThomasL

Holmes

Lake

Churchill

Solmundsson

Lake

LakeKotchapaw

Buckland

KnifeSouthLake

North

Fabas

L

Lake

Thousin

LakeNichol

NaresLake

Condie

EinarsonLake

Lake

GylesLake

MinikwakunisLake

LakeFreeman

River

RBieber

Assaikwatamo

Little

RecluseLake

R

LakeLakeEmbleton

L

Billard

Hogg

MountainRapids

TheFours

River

LakeComeau

Gersham

Creek

Matonabee

Skromeda

Knife

Creek

South

KnightLake

Mack

Braden

L

Lake

RapidsSwallow

Churchill

Wasagamow

L

River

Lakes

Bradshaw

Rapids


KilnabadRapids

LakeWise

Herriot

Knife

DickensLake

TeepeeFalls

Langille

River

Creek

Nowell

River

Lake

LakeLofthouse

Heppell

Creek

BishopLake

MunkLRankine

Laforte

Crosswell

Bad

Lake

TurcotteDeer L

Deer

Whiting

MistakeL

L

Lake

Whitecap

Cygnet

CygnetLittle

LL

LMyre

Strobus LWeir

Lake

LongLake

L

LakeOwl

Fly

River

River

LandingHead

Ck

Red PlaceRapids

Running

Rapids

RiverCreek

HolcraftL

BayL

L

Farnworth

Warkworth

Creek

Alston

LimestoneRapids

River

Dog

Ck

Moose

Horn

Lost

Cooper

Weir

Creek

Beale

Warkworth

Ritchie

1.0

17-JUN-15

ECOSTEM Ltd.


19-NOV-15

File Location: Z:\Workspaces\RCEA\Habitat Regulated System\Shore Debris Bradshaw Region Post.mxd

Hudson Bay

Thompson

Winnipeg

Churchill


0 7.5 15 Kilometers

0 6 12 Miles

DATA SOURCE:

DATE CREATED:

CREATED BY:

VERSION NO:

REVISION DATE:

QA/QC:

COORDINATE SYSTEM:

Manitoba Hydro; Government of Manitoba; Government of Canada;ECOSTEM Ltd. Shoreline DebrisPost-Hydroelectric Development



Shoreline Debris (Density, Coverage)NoneUnknown

InfrastructureTransmission Line (Existing)Transmission Line (Under Construction)Rail

Map 6.3.5-7


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-274

6.3.5.1.2 Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region

The development periods for the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region were as follows:

• the pre-development and pre-hydroelectric development periods both ended in 1974 with operation of the CRD, which affected downstream flows into this terrestrial region; and

• the hydroelectric development period was from 1974–2013.

BEFORE HYDROELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT

Terrestrial Habitat Composition

Land, which equates to native habitat prior to all human infrastructure development, comprised approximately 87% of the 1,659,998 ha Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region in 1974, which is when development began in the terrestrial region with the CRD dewatering.

Fine-textured lacustrine surface deposits dominated the terrestrial region (79% of land area), followed by till blanket (12%) and complex glaciofluvial deposits (6%). Much of the mineral deposits were no longer apparent at the surface in the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region by 1974, having been covered by organic material that developed over millennia. Organic soils covered 54% of the regional land area (Table 6.3.5-1). Organic soils were concentrated in the east of the terrestrial region. Permafrost was widespread in organic soils.

Native habitat composition pre-development and in the existing environment were virtually identical due to the small size of the human footprint in 2013 (0.1% of the regional land area).

Based on the small-scale SLC mapping, vegetation in the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region consisted of coniferous forest vegetation (72%), bog vegetation (14%), mixed forest vegetation (12%) and fen vegetation (2%).

The most abundant coarse habitat types in the classified satellite imagery (Table 6.3.5-2) included intermediate age needleleaf treed on shallow to thin peatland (17%), open needleleaf treed vegetation with lichen-bedrock understorey on shallow peatland to mineral soil (15%), semi-open needleleaf treed with lichen-shrub understorey on shallow peatland to mineral soil (14%) and open to semi-closed needleleaf treed on shallow peatland to mineral soil (10%). The SLC mapping suggested that about 2% of the peatlands had a shallow water table. Open needleleaf vegetation cover tended to be more abundant in the eastern portions of the terrestrial region (Map 6.3.5-8; Section 6.3.1.5.3 provides rationale for showing pre-hydroelectric development and existing environment habitat composition in the same map. Habitat changes due to hydroelectric development not visible at this map scale).

Detailed habitat mapping was available for just over 8% of the total land area in the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region, and was concentrated along the western reaches of the lower Churchill River and the southwest corner of the terrestrial region (Map 6.3.5-8). In the smaller-scale SLC, mineral soils were more abundant on that side of the terrestrial region, indicating that the detailed mapping would be biased toward mineral habitat types when used to represent the terrestrial region as a whole.

TadouleLake

DafoeThicketPortage(NAC)

Pikwitonei(NAC)

Southern IndianTerrestrialRegion

RCEAArea 3

BradshawTerrestrialRegion

Upper ChurchillTerrestrialRegionSouthern IndianTerrestrialRegion

RCEAArea 3

RCEAArea 1

KelseyG.S.

Long SpruceG.S.KettleG.S.KeeyaskG.S.

391

391

280

6

280

280280

391

280

280

280

280

BaldockLake

Northern

LakeThorsteinson

Gauer

Lake

Lake

Indian

Lake

NorthKnife

FidlerLake

LakeWaskaiowaka

Lake

Split

Nelson

StephensLake

1.0

08-OCT-15

ECOSTEM Ltd.


01-DEC-15

File Location: Z:\Workspaces\RCEA\Habitat OffSystem\Coarse Habitat Upper Churchill Region.mxd

Hudson Bay

Thompson

Winnipeg

Churchill


0 10 20 Kilometers

0 8.5 17 Miles

DATA SOURCE:

DATE CREATED:

CREATED BY:

VERSION NO:

REVISION DATE:

QA/QC:

COORDINATE SYSTEM:

Manitoba Hydro; Government of Manitoba; Government of Canada;ECOSTEM Ltd.; Habitat based on 2005 MTLCC 250m Map. Coarse Habitat Pre andPost-Hydroelectric Development

Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region

LegendRCEA Region of Interest

Coarse Habitat from Classified Satellite ImageryBroadleaf Treed MixedwoodOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Lichen-bedrock UnderstoreyOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Shrub UnderstoreyOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin Peatland with Lichen-shrub-herb UnderstoreyOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin Peatland with Shrub-moss UnderstoreyOpen Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Wet PeatlandOpen to Semi-closed Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to MineralOpen to Semi-closed Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin PeatlandSemi-open Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Lichen-shrub UnderstoreySemi-open Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Moss-shrub UnderstoreySparse Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to Mineral with Herb-shrub UnderstoreyClosed Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland to MineralClosed Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin or Wet PeatlandClosed, Young Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin PeatlandJack Pine Treed on Mineral or Thin PeatlandNeedleleaf Treed on Mineral to Shallow PeatlandNeedleleaf Treed on Mineral to Shallow Peatland with Herb-shrub-lichen-bare UnderstoreyNeedleleaf Treed on Mineral to Shallow Peatland with Shrub-herb-lichen-bare Understorey

Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin PeatlandNeedleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin Peatland with Herb-shrub UnderstoreyNeedleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin Peatland with Intermediate AgePolar Grassland, Herb-shrubMix of Water and Black Spruce Treed on Shallow to Thin PeatlandMix of Water, Marsh and Black Spruce Treed on Thin Peatland

Young Regengerating, Needleleaf Treed on Shallow to Thin or Wet Peatland

Water

InfrastructureHighwayRailTransmission Line (Existing)Transmission Line (Under Construction)

Marsh with Substantial Proportions of Water and Black Spruce Treed onThin Peatland

Young Regengerating, Semi-open Needleleaf Treed on Shallow Peatland toMineral

Terrestrial Region

Map 6.3.5-8


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-276

Pre-development land cover in the detailed terrestrial habitat mapping area of the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region (Map 6.3.5-9; Section 6.3.1.5.3 provides rationale for showing pre-hydroelectric development and existing environment habitat composition in the same map) was dominated by needleleaf treed vegetation on mineral or thin peatland (54%; predominantly black spruce on thin peatland), followed by needleleaf treed vegetation on other peatlands (42%; Table 6.3.5-8).

There was no permanent human infrastructure in the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region in the pre-hydroelectric development mapping.

Ecosystem Diversity

Ecosystem diversity results were primarily based on the habitat composition of the detailed mapping area since the satellite classification was not suitable for this purpose. Pre-development ecosystem diversity metrics were calculated using existing environment abundances due to the very small human footprint in the existing environment. As discussed in the terrestrial habitat section, the ecosystem diversity results were representative of the western portion of this terrestrial region, but not the terrestrial region as a whole.

Broad habitat types were not evenly distributed in the detailed mapping area of the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region. Four of the 15 broad habitat types in the terrestrial region were estimated to comprise 84% of the total pre-development habitat area (Table 6.3.5-9). Four broad habitat types were regionally uncommon, and three were regionally common.

Based on the available detailed terrestrial habitat mapping, the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region included at least 12 priority habitat types (Table 6.3.5-9). As indicated in the terrestrial habitat section, the detailed mapping was confined to the western portion of the terrestrial region, where SLC mapping indicated there was a higher proportion of mineral soil. Consequently, some mineral habitat types may be less abundant in the terrestrial region than indicated by the detailed mapping. For example, jack pine mixture on mineral would be regionally uncommon using the detailed habitat mapping composition, but this type may be found to be rare if detailed mapping was available for the rest of the terrestrial region.

Priority habitat was not evenly distributed throughout the detailed mapping area. Almost all of the jack pine and broadleaf habitat was located in the area mapped along the southwest border of the terrestrial region, and not in the portion surrounding the Churchill River (Map 6.3.5-9).

Fox LakeCree Nation

York FactoryFirst Nation

Fox LakeCree Nation

War LakeFirst NationIlford (NAC)

O-Pipon-Na-PiwinCree NationSouth Indian Lake


ShamattawaFirstNation

Long SpruceG.S.LimestoneG.S.KettleG.S.

ConawapaG.S.

LakeOpachuanau

Big

Lake

Sand

Lake

Southern

Indian

Lake

Tadoule

Lake

BaldockLake

Northern

LakeThorsteinson

Gauer

Lake

LakeIndian

Lake

NorthKnife

FidlerLake

LakeWaskaiowaka Stephens

Lake

River

RiverLeafRapids

Gillam

BradshawTerrestrialRegion

Upper ChurchillTerrestrialRegionSouthern IndianTerrestrialRegion

ECOSTEM Ltd.

1.0

01-DEC-15

Create

d By: s

nitowsk

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scape

BTB - M

AR 20

15 S

cale: 1:

1,175,

000


0 10 20 Miles0 10 20 Kilometres

File Lo

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rkspace

s\RCE

A\Habit

at OffSy

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arse H

abitat

TS Non

-Satelli

te.mxd

DATA SOURCE:

DATE CREATED:

CREATED BY:

VERSION NO:

REVISION DATE:

QA/QC:

COORDINATE SYSTEM:

Hudson Bay

Thompson

Winnipeg

Churchill

06-OCT-15

Manitoba Hydro; Government of Manitoba; Government of Canada;ECOSTEM Ltd.; Habitat based on most recent Government of ManitobaForest Inventory. Coarse Habitat Pre and Post-Hydroelectric DevelopmentTaiga Shield Ecozone

Legend

Coarse Habitat from Detailed Terrestrial Habitat

Infrastructure

RailTransmission Line (Existing)Transmission Line (Under Construction)

HighwayGenerating Station (Existing)

Broadleaf Treed or Mixedwood on All Ecosites

Black Spruce Mixedwood on Mineral or Thin PeatlandJack Pine Treed on Mineral or Thin PeatlandJack Pine Treed on Shallow Peatland

Tall Shrub on Riparian PeatlandLow Vegetation on Wet PeatlandWater

Black Spruce Treed or Black Spruce-Tamarack Mixtureon Mineral or Thin PeatlandBlack Spruce Treed or Black Spruce-Tamarack Mixtureon Shallow or Wet Peatland

White Spruce or Eastern Cedar or Balsam Fir Treedon Mineral

Terrestrial RegionRCEA Region of Interest

No Data AvailableHuman Feature

Map 6.3.5-9


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-278

Table 6.3.5-8: Land Cover and Coarse Habitat Composition Pre- and Post-Hydroelectric Development in the Upper Churchill and Southern Indian Terrestrial Regions of the Taiga Shield Ecozone 1

Land Cover Coarse Habitat Upper

Churchill (%)

Southern Indian

(%)

Broadleaf treed on all ecosites Broadleaf mixedwood on all ecosites 0 1

Broadleaf treed on all ecosites 0 1

Needleleaf treed on mineral or thin peatland

Black spruce mixedwood on mineral or thin peatland 0 1

Black spruce treed on mineral soil 7 9

Black spruce treed on thin peatland 40 27

Jack pine treed on mineral or thin peatland 7 12

White spruce treed on mineral - 0

Needleleaf treed on other peatlands

Black spruce treed on shallow peatland 42 46

Jack pine treed on shallow peatland - 0

Low vegetation on other peatlands Low vegetation on wet peatland 3 3

Shrub/ low vegetation on riparian peatland Tall shrub on riparian peatland 1 0

Shore zone and small islands 0 0

Unclassified 0 0

Total land area mapped (ha)

118,647 726,690 Notes: Values of “0” indicate a number that rounds to zero. Values of “-” indicate an absence. Subtotals may not appear to reflect sum due to rounding. 1. Based on available detailed habitat mapping.


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-279

Table 6.3.5-9: Broad and Priority Habitat Types in the Available Detailed Mapping Areas in the Terrestrial Regions of the Taiga Shield Ecozone

Broad Habitat Type

Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region Southern Indian Terrestrial Region

Area (ha) Percentage of Native Habitat Rarity 1 Area (ha) Percentage of Native Habitat Rarity

Trembling aspen mixedwood on all ecosites 185 0.2 R 5,398 0.7 R

White birch mixedwood on all ecosites 28 0.0 R 5,099 0.7 R

Trembling aspen dominant on all ecosites

- - 479 0.1 R

Trembling aspen mixture on all ecosites 27 0.0 R 3,193 0.4 R

White birch dominant on all ecosites

- - 642 0.1 R

White birch mixture on all ecosites 12 0.0 R 2,815 0.4 R

Black spruce mixedwood on thin peatland 185 0.2 R 6,746 0.9 R

Black spruce dominant on mineral

- - 184 0.0 R

Black spruce mixture on mineral 8,585 7.2 U 64,909 8.9 U

Black spruce dominant on thin peatland 40,550 34.2 C 150,345 20.7 C

Black spruce mixture on thin peatland 6,981 5.9 U 42,554 5.9 U

Jack pine dominant on mineral 390 0.3 R 5,760 0.8 R

Jack pine mixedwood on mineral 392 0.3 R 4,060 0.6 R

Jack pine mixture on mineral 7,052 5.9 U 77,286 10.6 C

Jack pine mixture on thin peatland

- - 10 0.0 R

White spruce mixture on mineral

- - 3 0.0 R

Black spruce dominant on shallow peatland 16,861 14.2 C 49,188 6.8 U

Black spruce mixture on shallow peatland 33,299 28.1 C 287,294 39.5 C


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-280

Table 6.3.5-9: Broad and Priority Habitat Types in the Available Detailed Mapping Areas in the Terrestrial Regions of the Taiga Shield Ecozone

Broad Habitat Type

Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region Southern Indian Terrestrial Region

Area (ha) Percentage of Native Habitat Rarity 1 Area (ha) Percentage of Native Habitat Rarity

Jack pine mixture on shallow peatland

- - 48 0.0 R

Low vegetation on wet peatland 3,286 2.8 U 18,205 2.5 U

Tall shrub on riparian peatland 725 0.6 R 838 0.1 R

Shore zone and small islands 84 0.1 - 1,628 0.2 -

Total Land Area (ha) 118,647

726,690

Notes: Values of “0” indicate a number that rounds to zero. Values of “-” indicate an absence. Subtotals may not appear to reflect sum due to rounding. 1. C = Regionally common, U = Regionally uncommon, R = Regionally rare.


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-281

Wetland Function

All of the data limitations described above for terrestrial habitat and ecosystem diversity also apply to wetland function.

Wetlands covered 86% of the detailed mapping area in the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region (this total does not include shallow open water since water depths were not available), with peatlands accounting for this entire total (Table 6.3.5-10). Shallow and thin peatlands were the most abundant wetland types, followed by wet deep peatlands and riparian peatlands. The proportion of wetlands in the detailed mapping area was higher than indicated by the small-scale SLC mapping for the entire terrestrial region (86% vs 54%). This likely resulted from the smaller SLC scale not resolving smaller wetland features in the landscape. Due to the large difference in mapping scales, these two data sets were not directly comparable.

The highest quality mapped wetlands in this terrestrial region were riparian peatlands, followed by wet deep peatlands (Table 6.3.5-10). The remaining peatland types had much lower wetland quality ratings than the other wetland types.

Shore zone wetlands, not including the pre-hydroelectric on-system wetlands addressed in the Shoreline Ecosystems section below, comprised 0.7% of the total mapped wetland area. These consisted entirely of riparian peatland.

Table 6.3.5-10: Pre-Development Wetlands in the Upper Churchill and Southern Indian Terrestrial Regions of the Taiga Shield Ecozone in the Available Detailed Habitat Mapping Area

Wetland Class

Wetland Form

Wetland Quality Coarse Ecosite

Percentage of Land Area

Upper Churchill

Southern Indian

Bog Riparian 50 Riparian Peatland 1 0

Peatland All 39 Wet deep peatland 3 3

Bog Veneer 26 Shallow peatland 49 61

Bog Veneer 19 Thin peatland 47 36

All Types 100 100

Total pre-development wetland area (ha) 101,888 556,147 Notes: Values of “0” indicate a number that rounds to zero. Subtotals may not appear to reflect sum due to rounding


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-282


Shoreline ecosystems in the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region were unaffected by human infrastructure development at the start of the CRD.

Based on estimates from 1:50,000 NTS data (see Section 6.3.1.5.5 for the limitations of these data), the pre-hydroelectric development Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region included approximately 223,902 ha of surface water and 19,891 km of shorelines that provided potential shore zone and offshore wetland habitat. Based on available terrestrial habitat mapping outside of human-affected areas, vegetated riparian peatlands comprised approximately 0.6% of total terrestrial habitat area in the terrestrial region. This proportion is not likely representative of the entire terrestrial region due to the small proportion of detailed mapping (8% of regional land area), concentrated in the southwest of the terrestrial region. The vegetated shoreline wetland percentage would have fluctuated from year to year in these dynamic ecosystems.

Waterbodies that would eventually be affected by the CRD contributed approximately 16% (35,324 ha) of the surface water area and 6% (1,258 km) of the shoreline length. Nearly all of this shoreline was in the Burntwood River mainstem (88%; Table 6.3.5-11). Smaller lakes provided 8% of shoreline length and small river and back bays (3% combined) made up the rest of the shoreline.

Data were available to classify approximately 72% (900 km) of the pre-development large river system shore zone habitat in the terrestrial region, from historical aerial photographs acquired during August 1969. Shoreline mapping was available from the western regional boundary to a point approximately 16 km downstream of Fidler Lake. This reach was dominated by all of the larger riverine lakes and connected waterbodies in the Lower Churchill River System.

Table 6.3.5-11: Waterbody Type along the Pre-Hydroelectric Development and Existing Environment Shorelines in the Upper Churchill Terrestrial Region of the Taiga Shield Ecozone

Waterbody Type


Length (km) Percentage of Length Length (km) Percentage of

Length

Lake 106 8 107 10 River 569 45 531 48

Small river 39 3 35 3

River widening 66 5 30 3

Riverine lake 472 38 398 36

Back bay 5 0 - -

Total 1,257 100 1,101 100 Notes: Values of “0” indicate a number that rounds to zero. Values of “-” indicate an absence. Subtotals may not appear to reflect sum due to rounding.


DECEMBER 2015 6.3-283

Waterbodies downstream of the mapped shoreline were predominantly riverine and single channelled. Because of the differences in waterbody types between the mapped and unmapped reaches of this river system, the available mapping was not representative of the entire large river system in this terrestrial region. Therefore, the following results only apply to the mapped reach.

Clay bank materials were predominant along the mapped shoreline (70% of shoreline length; Map 6.3.5-10), either as a pure type (17%) or overlying bedrock (53%; Table 6.3.5-12; bank material mapped for 72% of the shoreline). The remainder of the banks were gravel (14%), sand (15%), bedrock and human (1% combined). Bank failures large enough to map were not apparent in the stereophotos.

Low bank was the most common bank height (84% of shoreline length), followed by moderate height (13%), low to moderate height bank (23%), moderate to high (1%) and high bank (1%; Table 6.3B-4; bank height mapped for 72% of the shoreline). Low, moderate and high banks were not strongly associated with a particular bank material. Gravel and sand banks were more strongly associated with low bank heights.

Where beaches could be classified from the historical aerial photographs, they were predominantly clay (52% of shoreline length), sand (24%) and bedrock (19%; beach material mapped for 71% of the shoreline). Gravel (6%) was mostly located in the lakes, riverine mainstem and riverine lakes (Table 6.3B-5).

Shallow open water was the predominant shore zone wetland type (81%) along the classified shoreline (Table 6.3.5-13; shore zone wetlands mapped for 72% of the shoreline). Riparian peatlands accounted for 12% of the shoreline, while marsh and riparian peatland/marsh mixtures occurring in the various density and width classes was present along 6% of the mapped shoreline.

Narrow marshes were found entirely in the Lower Churchill River (Map 6.3.5-11; as described in Section 6.3.1.5, waterbody limits used to subdivide the river system may differ from those found in the Physical Environment [IV] and Water [V] Parts; see Section 6.3.1.5 for definitions of the shore zone wetland types). Riparian peatlands were most abundant in Thorsteinson Lake and the Lower Churchill River channel.

Offshore emergent or floating-leaved vegetation occurred along 4% of the mapped shoreline, consisting of marsh in various width and density classes or pondweed (Table 6.3.5-14; offshore wetlands mapped for 72% of the shoreline). Offshore pondweed was present along approximately 4% of the shore zone. Offshore emergent vegetation and pondweed was most frequent in the river channel and riverine lakes. It was most abundant in Thorsteinson Lake.

None of the classified shoreline had mappable (i.e., visible in remote sensing) shoreline debris (Table 6.3.5-15; shoreline debris mapped for 20% of the shoreline). A mappable tall shrub band (i.e., at least 25% cover) occurred along 27% of the classified shoreline, with the narrowest class being most common. Wide tall shrub bands occurred in scattered locations, with most occurring in Northern Indian and Thorsteinson lakes (Table 6.3B-8; tall shrub band mapped for 4% of the shoreline). They were most abundant along shorelines of the riverine lakes and river widenings, and were frequent along shorelines of small tributary rivers.

6.0 Land6.3 Terrestrial Habitat6.3.5 Taiga Shield Ecozone6.3.5.1 Changes in the Indicators over Time6.3.5.1.1 Bradshaw Terrestrial Region BEFORE HYDROELECTRIC DEVELOPMENTShoreline Ecosystems

AFTER HYDROELECTRIC DEVELOPMENTTerrestrial Habitat CompositionEcosystem Diversity Wetland Function Shoreline Ecosystems

6.3.5.1.2 Upper Churchill Terrestrial RegionBEFORE HYDROELECTRIC DEVELOPMENTTerrestrial Habitat CompositionEcosystem Diversity Wetland Function Shoreline Ecosystems

coarse habitat pre and post-hydroelectric development...ritchie 1.0 17-jun-15 ecostem ltd. created...

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