The Burnaby Lake Rejuvenation Project is diverse and holistic, with its aim being the improvement of both the environment and of recreational opportunities within Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park. The most ambitious aspect of the Project is the dredging of Burnaby Lake to remove thousands of cubic metres of sediment over an area of about 36 hectares. View the dredging plans...

Burnaby Lake is in the Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park and is located in the heart of the City of Burnaby. It has the Trans Canada Highway as its southern boundary and the B N Railway on its northern shore. The City of Burnaby itself is the third most populated urban centre in British Columbia, occupying 92 square kilometres on the Burrard Peninsula between Vancouver to the west and New Westminster and Coquitlam to the east.

Burnaby Lake is one of the few remaining lakes of significant ecological value within the region and is home to over 400 plant, bird and fish species. Of these, 16 are rare and endangered. Burnaby Lake is also an oasis for recreation, having a recreational pavilion and facilities to support the 300,000 annual visitors every year.

Over thousands of years, lakes infill with sand and silt, become wetlands, and gradually transform into solid ground. This happens because fast-moving water carries suspended solids (such as sand or silt) collected through erosion. If the water is slowed, such as by passing into a lake, the water no longer has the energy to carry the suspended solids and these are deposited on the lake floor.

The process of erosion, producing suspended solids that are carried by water, occurs much more quickly in areas with less vegetation to bind the soil, such as an urban environment. Burnaby Lake is located in the heart of the third most populated urban centre in British Columbia. The amount of eroded material traveling into the Lake is much higher than if the Lake were located in an entirely forested area. The speed of infilling increases accordingly, changing the habitat at a noticeable rate. The local ecology cannot adapt at the same rate.

 

Dredging is just one method available to mitigate the infilling of the Lake, improve drainage flow, and provide long-term protection to the Lake’s ecosystem.

Dredging is the removal of sand, silt and other material from the bottom of a water body or water course. For Burnaby Lake, dredging will be carried out using a pipe, directed from a boat, that sucks up the silt and other material found on the lake floor. The material removed is called ‘dredgeate’. Water is extracted from the dredgeate in a process called ‘dewatering’ and the remaining solid dredgeate is disposed of in a suitable and safe location chosen based on the results of tests carried out on the dredgeate.

1. Dredging equipment requires sufficient space to be stored, to launch, and to re-fuel safely.
2. Dredging equipment must be maintained to ensure that no leaks of fuel or other substances come from the vessel and no spills of dredgeate escape from the equipment or piping.
3. Dredging activities must be conducted to minimize adverse effects on all flora and fauna in the Park and on Park users.

1. Improved hydrology or water quality
   

• Dredging increases the depth of water and therefore can create cooler areas of water which can hold more dissolved oxygen. Areas of cooler, deeper water provide more varied habitat for all kinds of aquatic life. Higher levels of dissolved oxygen improve water quality and can support a greater diversity of aquatic life.
• Dredging also removes contaminated sediment deposits which is an unfortunate bi-product of urban life, such as lead, cadmium and zinc. These chemicals have the potential to cause an adverse effect on all flora and fauna in and around the lake.
• Dredging removes invasive vegetation, helping light to travel through the water to improve the habitat for microorganisms and lessening the amount of decaying plant matter in the water that depletes oxygen levels as it rots.
• Dredging improves drainage flows and reduces flooding potential in upstream areas.

2. Improved access and migratory routes for fish and other aquatic animals

• A careful dredging plan allows for channels to be created that link upstream and downstream areas. This supports the life cycles of migratory aquatic life such as salmonid species as they can pass upstream to spawn and the fry can move downstream and on to the ocean.
• The well-prepared plan also creates shallow areas at the lake shore so that amphibious and land creatures can enter and exit the lake easily, and use land bridges (or 'pinch points') to access different areas of the lake.
• Such an improvement to the overall environment in and around the lake make it an attractive stopping point and resting area for other migratory species, such as the Trumpeter Swan, Surf Scoter and the Green-winged Teal.

3. Improved recreational opportunities

• Deep water channels allow for better access by boats, canoes and kayaks. Dredging will restore the international-standard rowing course on the Lake which was home to the Canada Summer Games in 1973.
• When the rejuvenated environment leads to a greater diversity of flora and fauna, nature lovers and those interested in learning more about the natural world will have an enriched resource for learning and leisure.
• Increasing the expanse of open water and accentuating the natural indentations of the shoreline around tributaries will increase the aesthetic qualities of the Lake and the Park as a whole.