Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[troutbreath]

We can thank our previous mayor for being first at the trough, but last to protect the fish habitat. It's like the gravel removal around the Vedder. They already know it's detrimental but bury any study saying so.




Salmon left ‘high and dry’

 

Stokes Pit in Surrey is one of nine salmon habitat locations in the province investigated by the David Suzuki Foundation. The environmental group released its report this week.
By Kevin Diakiw

Oct 05 2007

A South Surrey development is being cited as one of the worst examples of salmon habitat destruction in this province.

Stokes Pit, home to the Campbell Heights Development near 192 Street and 24 Avenue, is one of nine areas listed in “High and Dry: An Investigation of Salmon Habitat Destruction in British Columbia,” released this week by the David Suzuki Foundation.

The report examines development activity between 2003 and 2006 throughout the province and details failure of regulatory bodies, specifically the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and in the case of Stokes Pit, the City of Surrey.

The Leader first reported in July 2003 the city was entering into a deal to build a $300-million business park on 200 acres of city-owned land in Stokes Pit.

The 33-page Suzuki study released this week indicates the development came with significant environmental cost.

It details damage to two creeks, along with the “dewatering” of Latimer Lake.

The David Suzuki investigator said in his 15 years of fisheries work he had “never witnessed such significant loss of fish habitat associated with any one development.”

Part of the problem was that the DFO believed the City of Surrey, as landowner, was taking all steps to protect the creeks.

That wasn’t the case, according to the report.

“One significant creek (one to two metres wide) that was home to hundreds of juvenile salmon (coho) and some trout (steelhead) fry had been stripped of its riparian vegetation and there were numerous points of entry for silt and sediment running off the cleared property around it,” the report states.

In all, about 600 linear metres (2,000 feet) of stream and associated riparian area had been harmfully altered.

The report indicates the City of Surrey had commissioned a pre-development environmental study which had not been shared with the DFO.

The 1999 Dillon Consulting Ltd. study recommended no development take place in key areas because of fish habitat concerns. The study found the overall site was “an important source of clear, cool baseflows which originate from groundwater discharge” and “it is expected that this function is of very high significance to the fisheries values of the Little Campbell River.”

It called for further investigation, which according to the Suzuki report, did not occur.

“Instead, virtually all of the fish streams on the site were ruined by construction and de-watering of the site’s aquifer.”

The foundation pushed for legal remedies. A DFO investigator looked into that possibility, but on July 13, 2006 told the Suzuki Foundation that “although it is clear there were and are problems with this site, I don’t believe that there are the requisite elements for Crown approving charges and undertaking a prosecution.”

An official with the DFO confirmed Thursday that fisheries investigated the Suzuki complaint, but said the city complied with fisheries requests, so stronger action was not seen as necessary.

“In this case, we talked to the city, they responded appropriately, they are working on resolving the problem, so I think we’ve achieved our end without having to go towards legal action, so the decision was made not to take that approach,” said Rebecca Reid, Regional Director Oceans Habitat Enhancement Branch of the DFO.

Reid said the fisheries department relies on “partners” like the City of Surrey to ensure salmon habitats are protected. The DFO will continue to foster those relationships, she said.

Reid added the DFO appreciates the work undertaken by the Suzuki Foundation, but doesn’t completely agree with all the findings in the report.

Mayor Dianne Watts said Thursday she had not yet seen the report, but was disturbed by the contents relayed to her.

“There’s no way we should be going in anywhere and destroying Class A salmon streams, plain and simple, it’s that easy,” Watts said. “It’s absolutely unacceptable. Based on the information in that report, I’m certainly going to ask our staff for a response to it.”

She pointed out the city is working on a document that will help prevent similar habitat damage from occurring in the future.

“That’s what we’ll be doing as part of our Sustainability Charter,” Watts said.

kdiakiw@surreyleader.com

[clarki]

I find it hard to get up in arms about the loss of Latimer Lake. Let's not forget that it was a gravel pit first, not unlike Lafarge and Walmsey.

It may have provided baseflow/groundwater for the Little Campbell however I'd be interested knowing how the groundwater got into the river before that big hole was dug in the ground and subsequently flooded. 

The stream and riparian habitiat damage is inexcusable however. 

[GoldHammeredCroc]

Completely unnecessary with today's standards.  People like these natural settings and it adds value to their residences.

[bcguy]

The whole thing reeks of a complete lack of caring, profit first,... damn hippy tree huggers, dont they know its money first, the rest is spin, passing the buck, and burying it.

I spent many years as a kid riding up to that pond on Sat morning, except we used to call it Deeks Pit. Never caught alot, but it was close, and I was able to learn early what it is to appreciate life and the balanced cycle of it all. Whether or not if it was a created pond or not, it wasnt devoid of life when this inexcusable self centered decision was made to say screw the enviroment, we stand to make more money, even after any law suits or court proceedings, so, F***K em, full steam ahead.

[speycaster]

Lafarge was a gravel pit, where do you think it got its name.