We did our usual sampling, visiting all our creek every other week. We retrieved level data from various wells and checked the conductivity of the water in each one. We had sub-committee meetings and moved administrative projects along. We sorted some refundables. All very routine. The ups and downs caused by intermittent rain have mostly subsided and the creeks have settled into the long slow decline of summer. This is the best time to get a mid-range measurement. Again, routine for this time of year. The path into the Mud Bay Creek transect site, just tens of metres off the old highway, is lush with new growth but someone has done some pruning. It’s a pleasant walk now rather than the usual battle against sticker and branch. Waterloo Creek is the same as ever but has sprouted a new, makeshift tent. We apologized to the temporary resident as we skirted the camp on our way in to the transect site. Cook Creek, with its uniform depth and wide, level bottom, is always an easy transect. Wilfred, however, is still a roaring torrent. Its headwaters are higher than our other creeks and it is still being fed by melting snow. We decided to wait until it’s a bit lower before venturing into the maelstrom. Rosewall, was running high but it seemed approachable. This was our first time taking a transect at Rosewall. The flow was swift and at times our wading rod vibrated madly as the water piled up behind it.
The creek bottom was uneven with large rocks. We moved deliberately and methodically and managed to get our transect without incident. Cowie, the last of our creeks with a gauging station, was not overly high. But the bottom is particularly treacherous. Large slabs of limestone, slippery with growth, tilt at odd angles with sudden gaping holes that can cause a stumble and a dip. So, we now wear wetsuits in Cowie and have a team of at least three people.
All these routine activities are at the core of who we are. But it is always fun to have some variety. The very exciting, non-routine news from June is the activity we have planned for July.
We just received confirmation from the University of Victoria that our resistivity project is going forward again this year. Last year, we used the technique in nine separate locations from Royston to Fanny Bay. The goal was to confirm that this technique would be useful for measuring subsurface geological features (for example, aquifer boundaries). When the data were analyzed, the results confirmed that the technique works well in this area. So, the plan for July is to take fifty percent more measurements than last year.
Yes, routines are comforting but variety is the spice of life!