Colwood Creek Watershed
The Colwood Creek watershed, located to the west of Victoria, includes rocky hills, lush forested land, lakes, wetlands, residential and urban areas, a community park, a golf course and of course the creek and its associated ecosystems. Rainwater that falls on this area of land (about 850 hectares in size) flows into Colwood Creek and eventually to Esquimalt Lagoon. The upper and lowermost portions of watershed remain in a relatively natural condition, while the middle part of the watershed includes substantially developed commercial and residential areas in the city of Colwood.
A wetland in the upper watershed soaks up water like a sponge and helps to control flows.
The watershed lies within the City of Colwood, the District of Langford and the Electoral District of Juan de Fuca. Langford and Colwood are among the fastest-growing communities on Vancouver Island. This scenario creates challenges for maintaining healthy streams and ecosystems, as more land is developed. Nevertheless, Colwood Creek is valuable as a feature in local parks, and in its lower reaches is surrounded by some of the last remaining old-growth forest in the region. Ecosystems present within the watershed include Coastal Douglas Fir forest, Garry Oak meadows, lakes, wetlands, riparian zones, and an estuary. Many people live within the watershed, and enjoy the parks and trails as well as the beaches along the shores of Esquimalt Lagoon.
Aerial photo showing boundaries of Colwood Creek watershed
Colwood Creek begins at Humpback Reservoir, and flows eastward through forested land to Glen Lake, then southeast through residential areas and Colwood Creek Park, before crossing under the Veterans’ Memorial Parkway. It then turns north and parallels the Parkway along the east side, until it reaches the Colwood golf course (the Royal Colwood Golf Club) and Colwood Lake. From there the stream flows under Sooke Rd., south through the Royal Roads University grounds, and discharges into Esquimalt Lagoon.
Additional References & Links
Websites
- State of Water Quality at Glen Lake: BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection
- Geoscape Victoria, A Tectonic Collage: Natural Resources Canada
Articles
- Mount Wells Info Sheet: CRD Parks (PDF
) - Aquifers of the CRD: UVic School of Earth and Ocean Sciences (PDF )
- Yorath, C.J. and H.W. Nasmith. 1995. The Geology of Southern Vancouver Island. Orca Book Publishers.
- Madrone Consultants Ltd. 1995. Ecological Assessment of Royal Roads Property C.F.B. Esquimalt Vancouver Island.
- Ecologically Sensitive Areas: Victoria Natural History Society (PDF )
- City of Langford Heritage Inventory (PDF )
- State of Regional Parks: An Ecological Perspective: T.L. Fleming (PDF )
