SEYMOUR RIVER PROJECTS
- 2004
General Description
There are now four projects planned for the lower stretch (Toilet Bowl to Burrard Inlet) of the Seymour River during the fisheries window (July 15th - Sept 15th, 2004):
Project
#1: Squamish Nation Seymour Riverbank Protection and Restoration
Project #3:
DFO “Boulder Cluster” Fish Enhancement
Project #4: Dollarton Bridge Rebuild
Project #1: Squamish Nation Seymour
Riverbank Protection and Restoration
The
Squamish Nation is going to build a shopping center along the river right shore
immediately below the Seymour Parkway Bridge.
Four hundred meters of the river right shore is constructed of concrete
debris with some metal debris. The bank
is going to be restored to a more natural slope, indigenous plants will be
introduced, and the concrete will be replaced by boulders. Five spurs will be built to direct flow away
from the river right bank. RCABC along with WKABC is negotiating to keep the
enhancements safe for paddlers, and hopefully improve the area for paddling and
fish habitat by adding some simple features (eddies) that paddlers can also use
for training. Also, the metal debris in
the riverbed needs to be removed. This is currently being negotiated. Check http://bccanoe.com/environment/environment.cfm for updates.
Downstream view of the Seymour River taken from
Seymour Parkway Bridge. The bank
restoration will start at the sandy patch on river right just below the
riffle. It will extend 400m downstream (around the corner)
which includes the rapid that has metal debris.
View of the concrete debris which was exposed by a
flood in the 80’s. This photo shows the start of the rapid containing the
metal debris.
During
the same flood event, the metal
from the old gravel operation was exposed.
The removal of this metal is the priority for the paddling
community.
A seven
foot diameter GVRD water main is to be installed just above the Seymour Parkway
Bridge, under the riverbed. Check the
Enviro section of www.bccanoe.com for
updates. RCABC is invited to attend
design sessions to provide input.
Project #3: DFO “Boulder Cluster”
fish enhancement
Department
of Fisheries and Oceans is going to construct up to five boulder clusters to
provide fish enhancement. The exact
location is not yet determined, although it will likely be above the Seymour
Parkway Bridge and possibly above the Grantham Bridge. It will likely not be much further up the
river because of difficulty of machinery access. The boulder clusters will be quite large and be placed in the
main current, so they will provide an eddy even at low water. RCABC is invited to attend design sessions
to provide input. Check the Enviro section of www.bccanoe.com
for updates.
Project #4: Dollarton Bridge Rebuild
There is a
description of the Dollarton Bridge work in the Enviro section of www.bccanoe.com .