Safety Procedures

A safe monitoring visit starts before you arrive at the stream.

Before leaving for a monitoring site:

• Confirm that you are visiting an approved Streamkeepers monitoring site.
• Confirm that you are monitoring with at least one other Streamkeepers volunteer.
• Make sure any required private-property access arrangements are in place.
• Check the weather forecast and recent weather conditions.
• Consider whether rainfall, storms or other conditions may have affected stream levels or access.
• Bring the monitoring equipment required for your site and monitoring activities.
• Wear footwear and clothing appropriate for the weather and terrain.
• Bring and wear your required high-visibility Streamkeepers vest.
• Participate only in monitoring activities for which you have received the appropriate training or orientation.

Streamkeepers monitoring must always be completed in pairs or small groups. Volunteers must not conduct monitoring alone.

If your monitoring partner or group is unavailable, reschedule the visit rather than attending the site by yourself.

This requirement applies throughout the monitoring activity, including access to and from the monitoring location.

• Do I have a monitoring partner?
• Is this an approved Streamkeepers site?
• Are the weather and stream conditions appropriate?
• Do I have the equipment and clothing I need?
• Am I trained for the activity I am about to undertake?

If the answer to any of these questions creates a safety concern, do not proceed until the concern has been addressed.

Take a moment to assess the site before beginning any monitoring activity.

Even a familiar monitoring location may be different from your previous visit. Water levels, erosion, fallen trees, weather and other conditions can change between monitoring visits.

Look for potential hazards such as:

• Slippery rocks or surfaces.
• Steep, unstable or eroded streambanks.
• Uneven terrain.
• Deep or fast-moving water.
• High or changing water levels.
• Fallen trees, branches or unstable vegetation.
• Wildlife or insects.
• Hazardous or irritating plants.
• Traffic near access points or road crossings.
• Damage to trails, stairs, bridges or access routes.
• Other unusual conditions at the site.

Continue assessing conditions throughout your visit. If something changes or you become uncomfortable with the conditions, stop the activity.

Monitoring should take place only at locations approved by the Streamkeepers Program.

Volunteers must:

• Remain within the approved monitoring area.
• Respect property boundaries.
• Follow any conditions associated with access to the site.
• Avoid creating new trails or informal access routes.
• Not enter neighbouring or surrounding private property.

Where access through private property is required, the necessary permission must be in place before volunteers enter the property.

Approval of a monitoring site does not provide general permission to access surrounding private property.

While monitoring:

• Minimize disturbance to streambanks and vegetation.
• Avoid unnecessary trampling of sensitive areas.
• Keep monitoring equipment contained and organized.
• Leave the site as you found it.

Streams and waterways can present serious hazards, even when they appear calm or familiar.

Water depth, current strength and streambank stability can be difficult to judge from the shore. Conditions may also change quickly following rain or upstream events.

Volunteers must:

• Maintain a safe distance from deep, fast-moving or unstable water.
• Stay on stable ground whenever possible.
• Never enter the water unless specifically trained and authorized to do so.
• Never climb, stretch or lean into an unsafe position to collect a sample.
• Never stand on unstable rocks, logs or streambanks to reach the water.
• Avoid locations where a slip or fall could result in entering deep or fast-moving water.
• Stop monitoring if water levels, stream flow or bank conditions become unsafe.

A water sample is never worth risking an injury.

Do not attempt to collect a sample if:

• You cannot reach the sampling location from stable ground.
• Water is unusually high or fast-moving.
• The streambank is unstable.
• The access point is slippery or obstructed.
• You would need to climb, jump, enter the water or overextend yourself.
• Any member of your monitoring group believes the activity is unsafe.

If a sample cannot be collected safely, record that the monitoring visit could not be completed and report the condition through the Streamkeepers Program as appropriate.

Do not conduct routine monitoring during flooding, extreme stream flow or other conditions that make access unsafe.

Remember that stream conditions may remain hazardous after heavy rain even when the weather has improved.

When in doubt, do not approach the water.

Streamkeepers activities involve water-quality testing kits, sample containers and other field equipment.

Use equipment only for its intended purpose and within the scope of your training.

Volunteers should:

• Follow the instructions provided for each piece of equipment.
• Use only equipment they have been trained or instructed to use.
• Keep equipment secure while working near water.
• Take reasonable care of borrowed or shared equipment.
• Report damaged, lost or malfunctioning equipment.
• Not modify equipment or use it for purposes outside Streamkeepers monitoring procedures.

If you are unsure how to safely use a piece of equipment, stop and ask before proceeding.

Wear footwear and clothing suited to the terrain and weather conditions.

A high-visibility Streamkeepers vest is required during field monitoring activities.

The vest helps identify authorized Streamkeepers volunteers to property owners, members of the public and other volunteers.

The Streamkeepers vest should only be worn while participating in authorized Streamkeepers activities.

Wearing a Streamkeepers vest does not make a volunteer an employee, enforcement officer or official spokesperson for the District of Sooke. This distinction is also included in the volunteer waiver.

Wildlife may be present around streams and natural areas.

Volunteers should:

• Remain alert to wildlife and signs of wildlife activity.
• Keep a safe distance from animals.
• Never approach, feed, handle or intentionally disturb wildlife.
• Give wildlife space to move away.
• Leave the area if wildlife activity creates a safety concern.

Do not take additional risks to continue monitoring when wildlife is present.

Streamkeepers activities should minimize impacts to the waterways and habitat being monitored.

Volunteers should:

• Avoid disturbing vegetation.
• Minimize trampling of streambanks.
• Avoid moving rocks, logs or natural materials unless specifically required by an approved monitoring procedure.
• Keep equipment and personal belongings under control.
• Use approved access routes whenever possible.
• Leave the area as you found it.

Every Streamkeepers volunteer has the authority to decline or stop an activity when they believe it cannot be completed safely.

There is no expectation that a volunteer will take a risk to complete a monitoring visit.

Stop monitoring if:

• Water levels or stream flow become unsafe.
• Weather conditions deteriorate.
• Lightning, high winds or other severe weather develops.
• Access becomes unsafe.
• A streambank or trail appears unstable.
• Wildlife creates a potential hazard.
• Equipment cannot be used safely.
• Your monitoring partner is no longer able to continue.
• You encounter a situation outside your training or authorization.
• You or another member of your group are uncomfortable proceeding.
• Any unexpected condition creates a reasonable safety concern.

You are not expected to:

• Monitor alone.
• Enter unsafe terrain.
• Enter the water without appropriate training and authorization.
• Enter private property without permission.
• Work during flooding or severe weather.
• Undertake activities beyond your training.
• Investigate an environmental or public-safety hazard yourself.
• Complete a monitoring visit when doing so feels unsafe.

If one member of the monitoring group believes an activity is unsafe, stop and reassess together.

Do not proceed.

Missing one data point has far less consequence than an injury.

Streamkeepers monitoring is intended to build a long-term record over time. No individual monitoring visit is important enough to justify taking an unnecessary risk.

In an emergency, call 911 or the appropriate emergency service first.

Do not delay emergency assistance in order to contact the Streamkeepers Program.

Once the immediate emergency has been addressed, notify the appropriate District of Sooke or Streamkeepers Program contact as soon as reasonably possible (streamkeepers@sooke.ca). 

Volunteers should report:

• Accidents.
• Injuries.
• Near misses.
• Unsafe site conditions.
• Property-access concerns.
• Damage to monitoring equipment.
• Significant interactions with wildlife.
• Situations involving members of the public that create a safety concern.
• Other significant incidents occurring during an authorized Streamkeepers activity.

A near miss is an event that could reasonably have resulted in an injury or other serious incident, even though no injury occurred.

Reporting near misses helps identify hazards and improve safety procedures for future monitoring visits.

The existing waiver similarly requires accidents, injuries, near misses and significant incidents to be reported as soon as reasonably possible.

Email streamkeepers@sooke.ca to report.

Streamkeepers volunteers may occasionally encounter unusual environmental conditions while monitoring.

Examples may include:

• Unusual water colour, odour or appearance.
• Dead or distressed wildlife or fish.
• An apparent spill or discharge.
• Significant erosion or streambank damage.
• Damaged infrastructure.
• Obstructions or debris.
• Other unexpected environmental conditions.

If you observe something unusual:

1. Keep yourself and your monitoring group safe.
2. Do not touch, enter or investigate a potential hazard.
3. Record observations only when it is safe to do so.
4. Leave the area if there is any safety concern.
5. Report the observation to the District by email: streamkeepers@sooke.ca. Please include photos or video, if possible.

Streamkeepers volunteers are observers and monitors. Volunteers should not investigate potential pollution sources, enter restricted areas, approach hazardous materials or undertake enforcement activities.