Posted on April 2, 2025
B.C. government cabinet minister checks out Fraser River amidst calls for better dredging of Fraser River
A solution to sediment clogging up secondary channels of the Fraser River may be a grain of sand closer, following a wide-ranging meeting at the Ladner Yacht Club.
It may be possible to keep the river healthy and maintain navigation by involving all interest groups, said Simon Everatt, with the South Fraser River Enhancement Society.
“A significant step,” was taken towards keeping those channels clear following the March 18 meeting with the mayor, Tsawwassen and Musqueam First Nations leaders and Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Randene Neill.
The group noted a Ducks Unlimited project where sediment dredged from the river was re-used to restore habitat and provide flood protection.
“This approach presents an opportunity for the provincial government to maintain safe waterways, while simultaneously safeguarding coastal communities from rising sea levels and storm surges that threaten areas such as Sturgeon Bank,” Everatt said in a news release.
He added that material that can be dredged from the Ladner channel is heavy silt which is good for habitat rehabilitation.
“The re-use of the sediment is the way to go,” he said.
The group says a dedicated dredging program is needed to keep the Fraser River’s secondary channels flowing properly so they can be used by boats.
A dredging channel doesn’t require the whole width of the river, just a channel about 15 metres wide and a depth of 3.5 metres, on low tide.
Efforts to keep water flowing in the main channel of the Fraser have reduced flow in the secondary channels, increasing sedimentation, the society said.
“Except for a minor dredging effort in 2023, these channels have been largely neglected since 2015,” the release said.
He said the group is “hopeful” that getting input from all interest groups can lead to a sustainable solution. “I think we’re getting somewhere. In the past, our letters to the ministry had just been ignored. Now, we seem to be having a bit more back and forth with them … I’m hopeful. We’ll see, I guess.”
The South Fraser River Enhancement Society has asked for an exemption for Delta to the province’s moratorium on issuing long-term water-lot leases for floating homes.
Delta has the largest concentration of float homes in B.C., with 148 homes on the Ladner Harbour Channel.
Everatt said the City of Delta regulates float homes, which are connected to city water and sewer services, or which have tertiary sewage treatment systems.
Float home owners pay taxes on their water lots and their float homes, along with lease fees and utilities.
