Sediment management, including gravel removal, is an important component of British Columbia’s approach to flood protection in the lower Fraser Valley. Other strategic elements include structural protection, such as dike construction, dike upgrading, erosion control and flood boxes, land use planning, science and research coordination, and policy and legislation.

• Background information [PDF]
• Map of gravel reach [PDF] with gravel bar locations
• Table of Sediment Removals 2000-2010 [PDF]

Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Government of BC have signed a letter of agreement (2004) intended to meet the objectives of sediment removal and increase certainty, consistency and efficiency in the protection of fish habitat and the delivery of fish habitat protection programs. This agreement has expired, however, the intent of the existing agreement continues as a new letter of agreement is being developed.

EMBC bases decisions on a number of scientific reports:

• 2003 Sediment Budget [PDF]
• Strategy Report 2007-2011 [PDF]
• 2011 Fraser River Sturgeon Sampling and Monitoring Program [PDF]
• Fraser River Gravel Reach Studies - UBC Department of Geography
• Morphodynamics and Sediment Transport in a Wandering Gravel-Bed Channel: Fraser River, B.C. Ham, 2005 [PDF]
• Physical and Ecological Organization in a Large Gravel-bed River and Response to Disturbance, 2004 [PDF]
• Atlas of the Alluvial Gravel-Bed Reach of Fraser River in the Lower Mainland, 1928-1999. 2004 [PDF]
• Gravel Management in the Lower Fraser River. Church, Weatherly 2001 [PDF]

Over time, further reports will be posted.

EMBC commissioned Dr. Michael Church to write a paper on the development of a long-term sediment management strategy [PDF] for the lower Fraser River.

EMBC, together with contracted registered professional biologists and hydraulic engineers, First Nations, local government, and a multidisciplinary technical committee, identified Tranmer Bar as a potential site for sediment removal for the January - March 2011 period. Other sites which were considered are Harrison Bar and Powerline Bar.

• Location map [PDF] for the three proposed sites
• Preliminary discussion paper [PDF] on the three proposed sites

Permits to remove up to 167,000m³ of sediment from Tranmer Bar were in place on
January 21, 2011.

After further consultations with contractors, EMBC has determined that due to the limited remaining construction window, work at Tranmer Bar will not begin in 2011, but will be reviewed for possible start in 2012.

Additional links of interest

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Working Near Water
• Ministry of Environment White Sturgeon in British Columbia
• Ministry of Environment, Lower Mainland Region Sturgeon Site
• Ministry of Environment, Water Stewardship, Floods, Dikes, Dams and Droughts
• Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society