Maple Ridge city council wants to restore an ailing urban creek that runs through city neighbourhoods and farmland.
At their April 7 meeting, councillors got an update about the McKenney Creek restoration and enhancement plan, in a report presented by manager of utility engineering Joe Dingwall.
Pictures said thousands of words, showing the waterway as narrow and choked with weeds in one location, wide and shallow with no defined banks in another area, and littered with old tires and fallen logs elsewhere.
“While development happens we also need to work on this restoration of what clearly is quite a significant natural feature in the area,” said Coun. Sunny Schiller.
This fall, staff will bring recommendations to council, offering ways to protect the waterway from negative impacts of future city development, and from the higher water levels brought by climate change.
Dingwall explained the future will bring higher stormwater runoff due to paving and urban densification, and this could lead to erosion and flooding.
The creek originates near the Ridge Meadows Hospital, and flows northward to the South Alouette River. A map shows it goes underground through culverts in several places. It also flows through agricultural areas in the north. The creek traverses private property in places, making management a challenge, Dingwall noted.
It needs more vegetative buffers – but not the invasive canary grass and Himalayan blackberries that line its banks in spots. There are also also pollutants in the water.
Dingwall said the recommendations could include stormwater storage tanks for slow release of captured water, and dedication of green areas to absorb rainfall. There will also be consideration of removing invasive species, improving the creekside riparian areas, and creating more public access to green spaces. Opportunities for improving water quality, managing storm water, and beautification will be identified.
Coun. Jenny Tan called the project “Another opportunity for Maple Ridge to present its leadership on this front,” and encouraged an ambitious but implementable plan.
The city has a budget of $200,000 for the study phase.