Kokanee salmon should find a cleaner home when they return to a section of Mission Creek.

Starting Monday, July 24, BC Ministry of Environment crews will begin cleaning the spawning channel and the associated settling pond in Mission Creek Regional Park.

All work is expected to be complete by Aug. 16, in advance of the annual return of spawning salmon.

During this time, visitors to Mission Creek Regional Park, the Mission Creek Greenway and the spawning channel should watch for signage and stay out of marked areas and trails when heavy equipment is operating, according to a regional district release.

Some equipment may also be entering and leaving the park along the Hall Road access and trails.

This short window provides the chance for cleaning the channel prior to the annual Kokanee spawning season, said the release.

Each year, any sediment that settles in the channel is removed and using high pressure washers, the gravel in the channel is cleaned in order to improve the potential for successful spawning by the land-locked fresh water salmon.