Posted on August 12, 2026
A local firm is planning to dredge a 22-hectare area in the Fraser River between Langley and Maple Ridge. The public has a brief window to provide comment on the plans.
Sanscorp Products Ltd. of Maple Ridge has posted a public notice through local newspapers, indicating it has applied to dredge sand and gravel from a site approximately near the 25400-block of the Lougheed Highway, east of McMillan Island.
The dredging is closer to the Maple Ridge side of the river than the Langley side, but the site is referred to as the Langley Bar.
The dredging is part of the “continuing and ongoing maintenance dredging of the Langley Bar for navigational purposes.”
The plan is to remove about 100,000 cubic metres of material from the river.
According to Sanscorp’s management plan for the project, there will be measures in place to protect sturgeon.
“Immediately prior to commencing dredging operations, FRPD will conduct a side scan survey of the dredge area with the Fraser Surveyor as a mitigation measure to identify if sturgeon are present,” the report said. “Qualified environmental professionals from Phoenix Environmental will monitor the side scan survey and provide guidance as needed.”
The report also noted that, traditionally, dredging has taken place anywhere between mid-June and the end of February, but that the preferred start date is Oct. 1.
Several areas of the Lower Fraser River are dredged on a semi-regular basis, to prevent them from filling with sand bars and silt that would be a hazard to the barges and boats that use the waterway. Areas around Langley, including the Bedford Channel between Fort Langley and McMillan and Brae Islands, have been dredged multiple times in the past.
The dredging falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship, which is inviting comments from the public before the project is approved.
Written comments can be sent to the Senior Land Authorization Specialist, South Coast Region, Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship at 200-10428 153 St., Surrey, BC, V3R 1E1.
The deadline for comments to be received is Aug. 26.
