Fulton Creek (North Saskatchewan River)

Last updated April 02, 2019

Fulton Creek Is a minor tributary which flows into the North Saskatchewan River. Fulton Creek originates within The Meadows area of Edmonton, Alberta. As with other urban Edmonton waterways, with long stretches running through underground culverts, and water volume managed by other urban land uses and for erosion control, Fulton Creek has been labeled a lost creek.^[1]

North Saskatchewan River river in Alberta and Saskatchewan

The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with another major river to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows eventually into the Hudson Bay.

The Meadows is a residential district in the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located in southeast Edmonton, The Meadows is bounded by Whitemud Drive to the north, 34 Street to the west, and Anthony Henday Drive to the east and south. The residential district of Mill Woods is immediately west of The Meadows across 34 Street, while Strathcona County is located to the east across Anthony Henday Drive.

Edmonton Provincial capital city in Alberta, Canada

Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchors the north end of what Statistics Canada defines as the "Calgary–Edmonton Corridor".

Origination

Fulton Creek originates in the southeastern section of Edmonton, from the Fulton Marsh in the Maple neighbourhood.^[2] The Fulton Marsh is a constructed wetland, created after the original was drained in the 1990s in anticipation of the development of Maple, which started after 2010.^[2] Fulton Marsh is now a protected wetland that conserves the native flora and fauna in the area. As Fulton Creek travels its generally north-northwestern route to the North Saskatchewan River, it receives water from other smaller streams that have mostly disappeared from view.^[1]

Maple is a neighbourhood in southeast Edmonton, Alberta, Canada that was established in 2010 through the adoption of the Maple Neighbourhood Structure Plan (NSP).

Water course

Fulton Creek, after discharging from the Fulton Marsh, runs through a number of Edmonton light to medium industrial parks and residential neighbourhoods:^[3]

A neighbourhood, or neighborhood, is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition, but the following may serve as a starting point: "Neighbourhood is generally defined spatially as a specific geographic area and functionally as a set of social networks. Neighbourhoods, then, are the spatial units in which face-to-face social interactions occur—the personal settings and situations where residents seek to realise common values, socialise youth, and maintain effective social control."

Fulton Marsh in the Maple neighbourhood
Maple Ridge Industrial
Southeast Industrial
Pylypow Industrial
Weir Industrial Park
Davies Industrial East
Gainer Industrial
Kenilworth neighbourhood
Ottewell neighbourhood
Terrace Heights neighbourhood
Fulton Place neighbourhood
flows into North Saskatchewan River at outlet beside the Capilano Bridge

Kenilworth is a residential neighbourhood in south east Edmonton, Alberta, Canada located just to the north of Whyte Avenue.

Ottewell is a large residential neighbourhood in east Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. "The area is named for the Ottewell family, who were among the first settlers south of the river in the 1880s".

Terrace Heights is a roughly triangle-shaped residential neighbourhood in south east Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Topography

Fulton Creek has been culverted most of its way, in order for the City of Edmonton to build neighbourhoods in the surrounding areas. Due to being culverted, the creek's discharge into the river is very minimal and tends to dry up in the summer. Spring melt can cause the creek to overflow, allowing melt water to access the river. Over time, the City of Edmonton Drainage Department has added culverts and Gabion Check dams to address erosion and high flow incidents.^[4]

The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

A check dam is a small, sometimes temporary, dam constructed across a swale, drainage ditch, or waterway to counteract erosion by reducing water flow velocity. Check dams themselves are not a type of new technology; rather, they are an ancient technique dating all the way back to the second century A.D. Check dams are typically, though not always, implemented as a system of several check dams situated at regular intervals across the area of interest.

The area surrounding the Fulton Marsh is generally flat with very minimal sloping.^[2] In areas where Fulton Creek emerges, a light depression begins to form. Towards the river, the creek slopes into a sharp and deep ravine.

Fulton Creek moves through a short culvert underneath Whitemud Drive, between Maple and Maple Ridge Industrial.^[3] It is above ground through much of the Maple Ridge, Southeast and Pylypow industrial areas, moving back into a culvert near 43a Street and 69 Avenue in the northwest corner of Pylypow.^[3]

The Creek remains in underground culverts through the Weir, Davies and Gainer industrial areas as well as the Kenilworth and Ottewell neighbourhoods. It emerges in ponding areas in a park on the northwest side of Austin O'Brien Catholic High School, on the north central edge of Ottewell.^[4] From there, with exceptions for culverts and ponding areas, Fulton Creek flows above ground through the park like Fulton Creek Ravine, which divides the Terrace Heights and Fulton Place neighbourhoods. Wayne Gretzky Drive runs through the side of the final northern section of the Fulton Creek Ravine, before the Drive crosses the Capilano Bridge and Fulton Creek discharges into the North Saskatchewan River.^[3]^[4]

Related Research Articles

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Sonoma Creek is a 33.4-mile-long (53.8 km) stream in northern California. It is one of two principal drainages of southern Sonoma County, California, with headwaters rising in the rugged hills of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and discharging to San Pablo Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. The watershed drained by Sonoma Creek is roughly equivalent to the wine region of Sonoma Valley, an area of about 170 square miles (440 km²). The State of California has designated the Sonoma Creek watershed as a “Critical Coastal Water Resource”. To the east of this generally rectangular watershed is the Napa River watershed, and to the west are the Petaluma River and Tolay Creek watersheds.

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Canon Ridge is a residential neighbourhood in the Hermitage area of north east Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It "is named for an Anglican minister who arrived in Edmonton in 1875". The neighbourhood overlooks the North Saskatchewan River valley.

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References

1 2 Martell, Kathryn; Dammeyer, Henry (2001). "Lost Creeks and Wetlands". Environmental Research and Studies Center. University of Alberta . Retrieved 2016-08-18.
1 2 3 "Fulton Marsh Constructed Wetland". Environmental Stewardship. City of Edmonton . Retrieved 2016-08-18.
1 2 3 4 "Neighbourhood Maps". City of Edmonton . Retrieved 2016-08-19.
1 2 3 Chua, Ken; Zhou, Fayi; Kwan, Albert (2002). "Environmental Considerations in Fulton Creek Drainage". City of Edmonton Drainage Services. Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Annual (2002) Conference. Retrieved 2016-08-18.

Coordinates: 53°33′19″N113°26′13″W / 53.5554°N 113.4369°W / 53.5554; -113.4369

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[ERSC-1] 1 2 Martell, Kathryn; Dammeyer, Henry (2001). "Lost Creeks and Wetlands". Environmental Research and Studies Center. University of Alberta . Retrieved 2016-08-18.

[FMarsh-2] 1 2 3 "Fulton Marsh Constructed Wetland". Environmental Stewardship. City of Edmonton . Retrieved 2016-08-18.

[Maps-3] 1 2 3 4 "Neighbourhood Maps". City of Edmonton . Retrieved 2016-08-19.

[CSCE-4] 1 2 3 Chua, Ken; Zhou, Fayi; Kwan, Albert (2002). "Environmental Considerations in Fulton Creek Drainage". City of Edmonton Drainage Services. Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Annual (2002) Conference. Retrieved 2016-08-18.