Hyde Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan protects environmental and community values

Located in the Greater Vancouver area only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam have experienced significant growth over the past decade. Between 1996 and 2001, Coquitlam, the larger of the two municipalities, grew by almost 11%. In the future, significant growth is expected in the northeast area of Coquitlam, which borders Port Coquitlam. This area includes the Hyde Creek Watershed, an 1100 hectare area, nearly evenly split between Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam. The watershed contains several ecologically important streams and riparian areas.

In Coquitlam, the watershed is currently only lightly developed. Consistent with the Greater Vancouver Regional District’s strategy for development in the region, Coquitlam’s Citywide Official Community Plan establishes a policy framework that guides the development of an extensive urban community along the lower slopes of Burke Mountain in the Hyde Creek Watershed. The terrain ranges from moderately steep, to steep and includes extensive forest cover on the slopes of Burke Mountain. Much of the creek system on Burke Mountain is ecologically important with intact riparian corridors and sensitive ravines.

In Port Coquitlam, the terrain changes to gently sloping or nearly flat in the southern and eastern areas of the watershed. Port Coquitlam’s portion of the watershed is mostly developed with single and multi-family residential, commercial, and institutional developments. In the lowlands, the creeks generally occupy narrow corridors with close encroachment from historical development.

To provide for the orderly and cost-effective development of the watershed while protecting environmental and community values, the cities engaged Associated Engineering to complete the Hyde Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan.

Issues of concern that the plan addressed include the following:

• Flood protection and stormwater management
• Stream corridor protection
• Water quality protection
• Erosion and sediment control
• Summer base flow protection
• No net loss of fish habitat on a watershed basis
• Maintaining or improving upon existing watershed health
• Maintaining or improving productive capacity of fish habitats in the Hyde Creek watershed.

Led by John van der Eerden, Associated Engineering’s team included environmental sub-consultant ECL Envirowest and landscape and community planner Catherine Berris Associates. Piteau Associates provided hydrogeological expertise to support assessment of infiltration-based best management practices.

“We developed a multi-tiered stormwater management approach that aims to mimic the natural hydrology of the watershed, maintain water quality and prevent flooding,” advises Project Engineer, Dr. Mike MacLatchy. “This approach follows the intent of the Greater Vancouver Regional District’s recently developed Integrated Stormwater Management Planning template. Key principles of the template are "no net loss" to fisheries habitat and protection of watershed health.”

The Hyde Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan, developed with extensive public consultation, recommends using low impact development measures in developing areas. These measures result in much of the rainfall from smaller storms infiltrating into the ground, thus attenuating storm runoff and helping to maintain summer base flows in creeks and streams. Surface runoff from small, frequently occurring storms will be routed through water quality ponds before discharging to natural watercourses. Flows exceeding pre-development conditions will be routed to an extensive stormwater diversion system to prevent potentially damaging high flows in the ravines and lowland areas. The high flow diversion discharges to DeBoville Slough, where the Hyde Creek system drains under the natural regime. The Hyde Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan also provides general recommendations on applicable low impact development measures and other Best Management Practices.

An environmental and flow monitoring program will be implemented to monitor impacts to the watershed as development progresses. Using an adaptive management approach, monitoring results can guide adjustments to recommended best management practices, ponds, and diversions to preserve the overall watershed health and ensure no net loss of habitat at the watershed level.

Other Associated Engineering staff involved in the project included Jamie Fitzgerald and Guillermo Quijano