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Concerned citizen William Luke stands in front of the near-complete culvert between Kam Lake and Grace Lake. Luke is worried the culvert, which is designed to help fish swim the creek between the lakes, will have unintended consequences. - Jason Emiry/NNSL photo

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Fish migrating between Kam Lake and Grace Lake will soon be able to swim more easily.

The Kam Lake Road Realignment and Culvert Replacement project is going "extremely smooth" and will be complete within the next two weeks, said Dennis Kefalas, public works and engineering director.

The project, which had its 2007 budget figure of $300,000 boosted to $480,000 this year, fixes the "dangerous 'S' curve" of Kam Lake Road and replaces the old culverts, said Kefalas.

Not only did those two 900 millimetre corrugated steel pipe culverts insufficiently handle water drainage, they also obstructed the natural stream flow of the creek connecting the two lakes.

"What happens is the water becomes too fast for the fish to migrate between both lakes, so we were trying to solve that problem (and) make the road safer," said Kefalas.

In 2007, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) reported it was worried about one fish species in particular - the Northern pike, a notoriously bad swimmer.

Because of the gushing water from the old culvert, the pike often couldn't get through the passage to spawn upstream, often exhausting itself in the attempt and possibly aborting its eggs.

One Yellowknifer is not so sure human intervention is the best bet.

"I don't want to jump the gun and say they've done everything all wrong but in my perspective I think they're tampering with nature and they shouldn't be doing that," said William Luke. "I visit that place just about every week," he added.

Luke is worried water levels at the two lakes will drop, causing increased algae growth and a winter kill effect.

"I am concerned," he said.

DFO, however, said the project is a helping hand - not a death sentence.

"In a lot of cases fish use different habitat when they're spawning," said Sheena Majewski, a fish habitat biologist with the department.

The culvert is designed to let fish move freely between the two systems, she said. To ensure this, the department reviewed the city's plans and also made sure impact to the aquatic area was minimized during construction.

"Pike spawn in vegetative areas with aquatic vegetation - their eggs stick to the vegetation. It gives them access to more area for spawning and laying their eggs, so the young have a good food source," she said.

But it's not only fish that are benefit from the work.

According to Kefalas, the project "provides a means of egress for both Ski-Doos and dog mushers to access both lakes without actually having to cross the road."

That added purpose is also where the budget increase factors in, he said. The department will continue to ensure the fish are well-protected, however.

"We'll be following up upon completion to make sure that the area was built as it's supposed to be," said Majewski.