Alouette Rivers Flood Management Task Force
After attending the 7 November 2007 Public Open House on the Alouette Rivers Flood Management Task Force it seems that local officials would be wise to address taxpayers concerns as the wet season nears and the possibility of flooding looms large.
Hot spots and their affect on the Alouette River
Initially, we need to reduce some of the ‘hot spots’ on the rivers. The spots, including such blockages as ‘log jams’, ‘gravel buildup’, and ’silted-in areas’ that divert the natural waterways in the Alouette Watershed. Of course, we are now beyond the DFO window to work in and about a watercourse, so that presents a timeframe problem for the Municipality. The reality, though, is that the presence of these hot spots will not allow natural scouring of stream channels, especially considering the level of deposits that occurred over the past few years.
Eliminating downstream impact of development
As was indicated at the meeting by District of Maple Ridge staff, it’s important to ensure that what people do in one area, does not affect adversely other peoples’ property and its use.
Since it is evident that upstream development is having an impact in the Alouette River Watershed, the DMR should go to the next step. The DMR should follow and enforce the currently accepted principles of Integrated Storm Water Management, in which the majority of developmental storm water is re-infiltrated at source. In other words, the DMR should reduce or eliminate the use of streams and / or watercourses for the purpose of disposing water from hillside developments. One of the ways that this reduction can be achieved is by reducing housing density in hillside areas.
The above may not create a balanced or holistic solution but it’s a start.
South Alouette Concerns and Observations
1. The continued erosion and silt entering the S. Alouette at Mud Creek [approx 1.5 km south of the Alouette Dam - please note that there are two Mud Creeks]
2. The northwest corner of the property at 24085 130 Avenue; the owner has created a slide situation which continues to allow silt to enter Millionaire Creek
3. The property at 13300 240, a 25 acre parcel that was logged [without a Tree Removal Permit] and then in the fall of 2005 had major amounts of blast rock placed on it [no soil permit] this allowed creek surging and downstream soil erosion. The Ministry of Environment has had a water monitoring device at the mouth of Main Millionaire Creek since 2001, so if the Task Force needs some base-line data, the data is available from the MOE [I have copies].
4. The property at 23762 132 Ave. NE corner - this is the Headwater area of T-13 or Fern Creek. Again, this area has many loads of blast-rock placed on it [mid February 2006]
5. With the recent approval of the DMR gravel pit on 256 St and 140 Ave areas it is important to determine the base flows of the four creeks [Dickens, Doggett, Frodo and Mud Creeks] prior to any extraction process. The base flow info is imperative to determine if the extraction process will affect this part of the watershed and then also the down stream areas of the Alouette Watershed. We need a proactive, not reactive approach for the long term protection of the Alouette River Watershed.
I understand that there are other segments of the North Alouette River that need to be addressed.
