BC’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2021/22 Urban Streams Edition

New urban streams category profiles Stoney Creek and the Little Campbell (Tatalu) River highlighting major deficiencies in the protection of urban streams.

The atmospheric river that hit BC in November, and the surging rivers and major flooding that followed, dealt a massive blow to many communities, rivers systems and salmon stocks. However, many smaller streams in and around many urban areas fared a little bit better and these waterways continue to play a vital role in sustaining salmon such as chum and coho, as well as many other species. 

Yet, while climate change is the most dominant pressure confronting most river systems, smaller urban streams also face an array of other threats. This year’s endangered urban streams statement highlights some of these issues, with a particular focus on Burnaby’s Stoney Creek and Surrey’s Tatalu (Little Campbell) River, normally viewed as two of greater Vancouver’s most productive urban waterways. Yet, the events that transpired along both streams this past year highlight some major shortcomings in how we protect urban waterways. 

This urban stream statement is also a prelude to a broader province-wide rivers statement to be released in early 2022. The BC Endangered Rivers List is published by the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC) every two years to highlight the province’s most threatened rivers along with possible solutions. The list is based on input from within ORCBC’s 100,000-member base as well environmental groups, individuals, and resource professionals and is vetted by ORCBC’s Endangered Rivers Committee. 

Stoney creek

On July 30th of this year, a murky discharge found flowing from a culvert in Coquitlam into the Burnaby stream was linked to the death of hundreds of young salmon along with other species such as trout and lamprey. 

In addition, all the invertebrates in this part of the stream that fish depend on, including nematode worms, mayflies, damselflies, and small shrimp were lost. In effect, the entire food chain was decimated.

As is the case in many cities around the world, Metro Vancouver’s urban streams face a number of threats — from encroaching development, loss of riparian habitat, street runoff (from hydrocarbons to toxins from car tires), climate change, and the dumping of pollutants into storm drains. To make matters worse, a changing climate will exert added pressure on the region’s sewer and storm drains systems due to more frequent and intense heavy rainfall events.

The investigation into the Stoney Creek spill that occurred this past August highlighted a number of deficiencies by which such spills are dealt with.

First, due to staffing constraints, the investigation of such an industrial spill, which is the responsibility of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), was done more than a week after the event happened, hampering the ability to find evidence. Then, while carrying out their investigation, the ECCC stated they didn’t have the capability to test fish to determine why they died. In addition, the water samples that were collected in a much more rapid manner by the Stoney Creek Environment Committee (SCEC) were not even considered in the government’s investigation. The SCEC’s own testing showed the presence of a toxic concrete wash.

To their credit, the City of Coquitlam did finally identify a potential source of the contamination: a contractor in the vicinity of the culvert who was doing geotechnical work. The City then stated its intention to fine the company $500, a fine limit set by the Province and an amount that ORCBC believes is way too small to be a deterrent. This is something that can and should be changed. There is also potential to better utilize real-time water monitoring technology, such as Flowlink, to continuously monitor problem culverts that have a history as pollution sources.  

In addition to industrial spills, still another major issue facing Stoney Creek is the emission of sewage that blows out of street-level utility hole covers along North Road during heavy rain events. The sewage ultimately finds its way into Stoney Creek. 

The sewage pollution is due to the under capacity of the current sewage line and highlights the importance of ensuring that increased development is matched by the adequacy of infrastructure. Yet, new development continues to occur despite the fact that current infrastructure cannot meet existing requirements.

“We must take a much more precautionary approach to how development occurs around local waterways, while also doing more to hold polluters accountable”, said Mark Angelo, ORCBC Rivers Chair and a recipient of both the Order of BC and Order of Canada for his river conservation efforts. “In addition, governments at all levels must strive to address an assortment of deficiencies that became apparent in this case; deficiencies that currently put urban streams at risk”, he added. 

Among these deficiencies are ECCC staffing constraints (with only a handful of staff covering a geographic region from Vancouver to Creston); delays in launching ECCC investigations into industrial spills hampering results; a lack of testing tools to analyze fish to determine cause of death; inadequate penalties or deterrents; and the need for a greater use of real-time monitoring technology along creeks and streams (especially near areas with a known frequency of spill events). On other fronts, we must also do more to ensure that infrastructure, such as sewage line capacity, is in sync with both existing and new development. Otherwise, we risk the kind of sewage pollution we’ve recently witnessed along Stoney Creek.  

Unfortunately, in the aftermath of these pollution events, the Stoney Creek Environment Committee, one of the most highly regarded and respected streamkeeper groups in the entire Lower Mainland, has been left largely on its own with the significant task of trying to restore the health of this vital stream and fish stocks. 

Little campbell river (tatalu)

The South Campbell Heights area in Surrey is home to the Little Campbell River, historically known as Tatalu by the Semiahmoo First Nation. It is one of the most productive salmon and trout rivers for its size in the Lower Mainland, with more than 5,000 salmon annually returning to the river and its tributaries from Semiahmoo Bay. 

The area, at 660 acres in size, also contains rich, intact forest habitats. In addition, the aquifer, or groundwater beneath it, plays an essential role in recharging the Little Campbell River during extended dry and warm periods, which are becoming increasingly more frequent with climate change.

The City of Surrey’s recent efforts to amend the regional growth strategy and rezone hundreds of acres of riverside rural land to “mixed employment use” including industrial and commercial development would have a negative impact on the salmon-bearing Little Campbell River as well as the aquifer. Until very recently, this area was officially outside the city’s urban containment boundary.

This 30-kilometer-long river flows through Semiahmoo First Nation lands and into Boundary Bay. Yet, the City of Surrey did not consult with the Semiahmoo First Nation on this project before giving the proposal conditional approval. 

During a recent Metro Vancouver meeting, Chief Harley Chappell of the Semiahmoo Nation raised concerns about a lack of consultation, as well as threats to water quality and food security relating to both salmon and shellfish. 

ORCBC is also concerned about the impacts of such an extensive development on the health of the river. The porous nature of the forested area that’s proposed for development plays a key role in the maintenance of the aquifer, which in turn recharges the river during increasingly warm and dry summer months. The intensive development of this site could well change that and there have yet to be adequate studies on the water-related impacts of this development.   

Most significantly, in-depth water-related studies along with extensive consultations with the Semiahmoo Nation should be carried out before developments of this scale are approved.

At a time when many jurisdictions in BC are spending millions of dollars to restore fish habitat and given the extensive storm-related damage that has recently occurred along so many other river systems, the future development of such an important natural habitat requires a more cautious approach. 

Mark Angelo noted: “Recent events around both Stoney Creek and the Tatalu (Little Campbell) River, illustrate the varied and immense development pressures facing many Lower Mainland streams. So, in addition to making every effort to combat climate change, additional management deficiencies must also be addressed in the effort to better protect urban waterways.”