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[River Ethics]

Coquitlam Mayor and a majority of city council support local polluting industry which has endangered the Coquitlam River. Many species of fish such as Steelhead, Salmon, and trout are being killed off by gravel companies who choose to dump their waste into the Coquitlam River.

Thanks to everyone who sent our "Take Action" letter to Coquitlam Mayor John Kingsbury. For those who have not had a chance, there is still time. Also check out the "News" section and read our response to the Mayor's letter.

Take Action for the River at: www.SaveCoquitlamRiver.com

[chris gadsden]

Has another date been set for a second river cleanup which was so succesful a few months ago?

[canoe man]

thanks for the info, i hope a clean up is in order
please keep us informed
cnm

[freddy2596]

Has the City of Port Coquitlam been involved in any way????the majority of the problems with this river come from within in the city of Coquitlam .........But a large portion of the river runs through Port Coquitlam.

[Sandy]

Freddy the major problem with the Coquitlam River is the sediment deposits that choke the gravel beds (spawning sites ). It is fair to say that some of this sediment occurs from the natural erosion of the stream banks, but the majority of the sediment is caused by the operation of the gravel pits,the operators of wich have seemed to be taken little action to stop the overflow of settling ponds, a breach of the federal fisheries act and the provincial Mines act. You should also be aware that the above said quarries are located in Coquitlam When asked by me the mayor of Port Coquitlam was unaware of any problems caused on the Port side ,and is/was unable to influance Coquitlam's city staff. Perhaps a barrage of calls to Port Coquitlam, Ministry of Mines Inspectors office might stir the pot a bit??

[freddy2596]

As someone who lives  by this river and has fished it, swam in it, and rafted in it, and hiked beside for 40 years, I have seen it change from what once was a good flowing river to what it is today,nothing more than ditch with no flow.  The Mayor can send you a form letter all he wants about what measures and what groups are activley involved in restoring this once great water shed.it is most unfortunet that people like cewe have alot of politcal power within the city just by the amount of tax dollors they genorate for the city(far be it for the mayor or any of his councilmen to upset a tax payer)  The biggest change I have wittnessed over the years is the water flow......... and untill hydro(another large tax doller contributer) releases more water into this stream/ditch,it will continue to die a very slow and painfull death, the amount of water that is released does not allow the river to flush the sediments and crap(you know shopping carts,tires ,beer cans and the odd crack junkie that happens to take up residence). Perhaps they should reconsider allowing some of the water that is directed through the tunnel into Bunzen lake back into the Coquitlam river (what am I thinking, that would take water away from a HYDRO genorating plant).........Any how enough of the negitve crap............On a positive note.......A great big pat on the back and thank you to all the people that put in time and effort at the hatchery and the clean ups and the letter campains that do keep the river on the front burner and in the forfront of the puplics mind.....

P.S. sorry about the spelling, just my version of short hand..........

[The Gilly]

Done.

[The Gilly]

My letter came back!  They say that I spammed them!  Maybe I should present it to him at council with a real can of spam!!!!!!

[The Gilly]

Here is their response...

RE: Gravel Mining in Coquitlam
Thank you for your email outlining your concerns regarding sediments generated by gravel pit operations. As you may be aware, in October 1999, Council established a Coquitlam River Aggregate Task Force (CRATF) to recommend what could be done, by all levels of government, the aggregate mining industry and other stakeholders to remedy the impacts of aggregate mining and to improve the health of the Coquitlam River. The task force included representatives from the gravel pit operations, the cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), BC Hydro and the Coquitlam River Watershed Society. The CRATF produced an action plan in November 2001 and implementation of this plan is well underway. Recent initiatives undertaken by Coquitlam include:

commissioning a consultant study to determine the feasibility of municipal uses of fines;
approaching the Master Municipal Construction Documents (MMCD) committee with recommendations for including the use of gravel fines in concrete specifications;
requesting funding from the province for further research studies needed to identify alternative uses for fines;
seeking opportunities with other agencies to monitor and control naturally occurring slides in Falacea and Orr Creeks; and
installing two sediment monitoring stations in the Coquitlam River – one directly above and one directly below the gravel pit operations.
While progress has been made, efforts to implement the CRATF action plan are continuous and ongoing.
I would like to stress that we recognize the vital importance of the Coquitlam River within our community and the region. The river provides a multitude of benefits including critical habitat for fish and wildlife; and recreational, cultural and historical significance for local residents and First Nations. The Coquitlam River Reservoir provides one of the cleanest drinking water sources in the Lower Mainland. It also generates hydroelectric energy, and provides downstream flood control benefits. As well, the City of Coquitlam played an active role in the development of the recently completed BC Hydro Coquitlam-Buntzen Water Use Plan that balances fish habitat, power generation, flood protection and other factors in generating suitable operating regimes for the water control facilities.

I would also like to clarify a couple of other items related to your concerns. It is important to note that gravel pit operators are required, on a biennial basis, to apply to the City of Coquitlam for a Soil Substance Removal Permit. This permit validates the use of that land for soil removal, and the fee provided by the operator is used to rehabilitate roads used by gravel trucks. The gravel pit operations are actually regulated at the provincial level through mines permits and plans. Provincial legislation requires that gravel operators submit and adhere to mine plans that, amongst other items, establish site remediation and watercourse protection measures. These plans are referred to DFO for review. In the case of the Coquitlam River, DFO requested that the Ministry of Energy and Mines limit sediment discharges to the river; however, it is recognized that heavy rainfall events may continue to provide releases that are higher than desired.

With respect to the failure of the Lafarge sediment pond earlier this year, representatives from DFO thoroughly investigated the situation and found there was no evidence that sediments from the pond were released directly into the Coquitlam River as a result of this incident. However, fine sediments filtering into ditches that drain into the river, continue to be a concern. DFO continues to monitor the situation and encourage local gravel pit operators to seek practical ways to resolve this complex situation. For their part, gravel pit operators continue to invest considerable resources in water clarification and sediment settlement, slope stabilization and replanting, research on alternative uses for fines and other initiatives.

In conclusion, the issues surrounding the operation and regulation of gravel pit operations are complex and involve a number of jurisdictions. The City of Coquitlam and other members of the CRATF are continuing with concerted efforts to improve the health of the Coquitlam River.

Yours truly,
Jon Kingsbury
MAYOR
c - Councillor Mae Reid, Chair of the Coquitlam River Aggregate Task Force

[Sandy]

makes you wonder, when you see who gets most of the highway repair contracts in Poco and Coq.might be a good idea to see who contributes to the candidates election funds. Has anyone heard of any recent mines iinspectors reports/on infractions?.
If that was a Placer mine, you can be assured that the inspectors would shut down the operations untill they (the operators )guarenteed that there would be no escaping muddy water from the settling ponds . hey Freddy were both in the same boat when it comes to spelling etc. make no appologies.

[River Ethics]

Our Response to Mayor Kingsbury's Letter

Dear Mayor Jon Kingsbury,

I would like to thank you for responding to my letter. However, I am not satisfied with your response nor am I convinced that you are taking the problem relating to the pollution of the Coquitlam River by local gravel companies seriously.

With respect to your letter, it seems that you are admitting there is a problem with gravel companies releasing environmentally destructive fines into the Coquitlam River. It also seems that nothing is being done to stop their polluting of the river.

First off, you claim that fees paid by gravel operators from soil substance renewal permits go towards rehabilitating roads used by gravel trucks. This does not interest me whatsoever. My letter was about the Coquitlam River, not roads. More importantly, why is this money not going towards the river?

You are the Mayor of Coquitlam. You cannot claim that other jurisdictions hold the responsibility of protecting the Coquitlam River when your municipal government, is indeed, the ultimate authority. City council is responsible for renewing soil removal permits for gravel companies and also has the power to strip their business licences.

In your letter you also claim that gravel pit operators have invested “considerable resources” into water clarification and settlement, slope stabilization and replanting, research on alternative uses for fines and other initiatives. I can’t help but think that none of these endeavors have put an end to the original problem of polluting fines being released into the Coquitlam River.

These investments combined with the Coquitlam River Aggregate Task Force’s (est 1999) apparent mandate of improving the health of the Coquitlam River seem to be more of a delay tactic as opposed to effectively improving the river's health.

I, as well as many other citizens of Coquitlam, feel that not enough is being done to address this problem. My position on this issue is simple. If gravel companies do not in some way cease dumping of fines into the Coquitlam River then they should not have the privilege of operating in Coquitlam.

Making the argument that jobs would be lost if gravel companies were shut down is not sufficient enough to justify the continuation of gravel operations. 72% of Coquitlam residents hold the opinion that jobs should be sacrificed to save the Coquitlam River (Robbins, 2004).

The Coquitlam River is an important symbol of Coquitlam. It reflects poorly on the city and frankly is an embarrassment when its own river is ranked number eight on the top ten endangered rivers in British Columbia list. This will no doubt be an important election issue. The citizens of Coquitlam are calling on you, Mayor Jon Kingsbury to take charge as Mayor of this great city and deal with this problem in a morally responsible manner.


Sincerely,

Mike Wiskar
www.savecoquitlamriver.com


Feel free to send our response to Jon Kingsbury and the rest of city council

Send to: mayor_council@coquitlam.ca
Remember to include your full name, address, and postal code;
or write your own response.

[River Ethics]

There should be a Coquitlam River Cleanup in the near future. Call the organizer, Garry at Jaymer Fish and Tackle about it if you would like more information. Their number is 604-944-2479.

Also, for info and updates on upcoming action with regards to the Coquitlam River or if you want to join the mailing list, e-mail Mike at river_ethics@hotmail.com

[The Gilly]

From the Coquitlam Now newspaper...

Too many times, Garry Elgear has taken budding anglers to the Coquitlam River only to come across hypodermic needles.

That's the reason the fly-fishing guide from Jaymer's Fishing Tackle in Port Coquitlam decided three years ago to hold a volunteer clean-up day along the banks of the Coquitlam River.

The first year, the response from the angling community wasn't as good as Elgear had anticipated, but in 2002, volunteers collected two U-Haul trucks filled with refuse from the river.

"We're just trying to get more people out to help clean up the river. It's nice to walk along the river bank without stepping on garbage," Elgear said, adding this year's cleanup is scheduled for Sunday, July 27.

Elgear has taken novice fly-fishers down to the river to work on their casting and fly-tieing for years, but says pollution along the river has become a big problem.

"There are lots of times I've taken people down there and they've almost stepped on hypodermic needles," he said. "There's all sorts of stuff left down there or tossed in the river, either by the vagrants along the river or whoever. Last year, we cleaned up about two dozen shopping carts from the area.

"You know the little baggies people carry when they walk their dogs? Well, there are people who clean up after their dogs on the trail and then chuck the bag in the river. So the plastic bag full of dog crap washes up on shore," Elgear said. "They're not doing much for the environment in doing that."

He said he and a few others have begun cleaning up a one-kilometre stretch of the river, and he is hoping to create awareness with the upcoming cleanup.

"The salmon will be coming back pretty quick, so it'd be nice to clear the way of any obstacles, like sweepers, that have been lodged in there," he said. "The kids always float down the river in inner tubes, but who knows what's lodged in there? They could get caught up in a tarp that gets snagged by something in the water.

"The fishing community and others who are concerned about the environment are coming out to clean up the river - basically anyone like-minded when it comes to the environment."

ù Anyone interested in helping with the Coquitlam River cleanup is invited to join volunteers on Sunday, July 27, at 10 a.m. in the middle of Lions Park in Port Coquitlam. There will be draws for prizes as well as refreshments. For information, call Jaymer's Fishing Tackle at (604) 944-2479.