Project Profiles

Byrne Creek Relocation, Burnaby, B.C.

Client: City of Burnaby

Byrne Creek is amongst the City of Burnaby’s more productive salmonid streams.  Historically degraded by the effects of urban development, the stream has undergone a notable recovery in response to the efforts of local residents and the City.  The creek occurs within the design and construction footprints of the 10^th Avenue Connector road project, a large municipal transportation initiative. The Connector project traverses a section of Byrne Creek that is transitional between a relatively steep section and a relatively flat section that is ultimately confluent with the Fraser River.

The transitional section of creek sustains important spawning habitat for salmon and trout.  Gravels transported by the steep upstream section are deposited within this section of creek, providing ideal spawning medium for fish.  However, on numerous occasions, gravel accumulation has severely limited the capacity of the creek channel to convey flows.  This has caused flooding and closure of Byrne Road, a local road encompassed by the Connector project.

Design and construction of the 10^th Avenue Connector road project involved the relocation of the creek channel.  City-owned land adjacent to the design roadway was utilized for the majority of the relocated channel and associated features, a culvert extension to facilitate widening of a local road, an 8 metre wide and 60 metre long sedimentation basin, a 275 metre spawning/rearing channel, a riparian woodland, a high flow bypass spillway and rearing pond, and two new bridges.

Flows discharged by the extended culvert are routed through the sedimentation basin.  A flow bypass allows the basin to be dewatered during maintenance; diverted flows are routed to the spawning/rearing channel.  An additional feature of the sedimentation basin is a submerged orifice that regulates flow to the spawning/rearing channel when the basin is not undergoing maintenance.  Flow does not exceed 0.20 m³/sec, a rate of discharge that provides optimal flow depths and velocities in the channel for salmon spawning during late fall.  Design features of the channel include ten sets of log drop structures, six rearing pools with large boulder and rootwad complexing, six off-channel pocket wetlands, and 160 metres of spawning beds.

Envirowest developed conceptual designs for the sedimentation basin and high flow bypass spillway and rearing pond, and prepared detailed designs for the spawning/rearing channel and riparian woodland.  Envirowest facilitated the environmental permitting for the road project, including a Section 35(2) Fisheries Act Authorization.  In accordance with the terms of the Authorization, the project is being monitored for five years to assess the efficacy of fish habitat design features.

Home   Services   Team   Projects   Contact Us