Between Summer 2019 and Fall 2020, the District of Squamish and Squamish Nation developed a master plan for the Squamish River dike through the Siyích'em Reserve and Eagle Viewing Area, along Government Road.
The Dike Master Plan provides a vision for how the Squamish River dike will be upgraded to address deficiencies and enhance community flood protection. The master plan includes a conceptual design for dike upgrades, a public amenity plan and an implementation plan to advance the project from the master plan stage to design and construction. Further information on the master plan is available below.
The development of the Dike Master Plan involved evaluating options for upgrading the dike protecting Brackendale, Siyich’em Reserve and Garibaldi Estates in accordance with the recently completed Squamish Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan. It also considered non-flood protection challenges and opportunities for the area.
The project considered possible dike alignments and other flood protection options for the area to develop a plan which accommodates a number of considerations, including:
The Master Plan development originally focused on the area of the Squamish River dike between the northern end of Siyích'em I.R. No. 16 and the northern end of Kowtain I.R. No. 17. However, through the options development phase of the project (Fall 2019), the study area was expanded to the southern boundary of Aik’wucks I.R No. 15/Fisherman’s Park.
The study area and existing features are presented in the following figure:
Click image to view larger version.
The Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan found that the Squamish River dike in this area is deficient in the following ways:
This section of the Squamish River Dike is particularly vulnerable as the river flows directly into the dike at the north end of the Eagle Viewing Area, and due to the deficiencies discussed above. Additionally, there are a number of considerations to take into account based on the varied uses of the area, and therefore an early planning process involving community input was/is necessary before detailed design and construction.
There is still much work to be done. The timing of the upgrades will depend on confirmation of feasibility of the new alignment (i.e. ability to receive permits from regulatory agencies), completing necessary studies identified in the plan, securing grant funding and other District and Nation priorities. Prior to construction, there will be additional opportunities for public input.
The development of the Master Plan involved the following major phases of work and timelines:
Phase A: Initiation, information gathering, and context; | Summer 2019 | Complete |
Phase B: Visioning, brainstorming, and shortlisting options; | Fall 2019 | Complete |
Phase C: Conceptual design/engagement on shortlisted options; | Fall 2019 - Winter 2019 | Complete |
Phase D: Structured options evaluation and selection; | Winter 2019 | Complete |
Phase E: Draft master plan; and | Spring 2020 | Complete |
Phase F: Final engagement and final master plan. | Spring/Summer 2020 | Complete |
Community participation was and continues to be important to the success of the project.
In development of the Master Plan, community input was previously gathered through the following activities:
There is still much work to be done. The timing of the upgrades will depend on confirmation of feasibility of the new alignment (i.e. ability to receive permits from regulatory agencies), completing necessary studies identified in the plan, securing grant funding and other District and Nation priorities. Prior to construction, there will be additional opportunities for public input.
The development of the Master Plan was led by a Steering Committee comprised of District and Squamish Nation staff and councillors who directed a consulting team of engineers, biologists, and landscape architects.
During the master planning process, eight high-level conceptual options were proposed. Two Steering Committee meetings were used to advance from the list of high-level concepts to a shortlist of distinct options for conceptual design and engagement. The shortlisted options were presented to the community through the website, meetings, and an open house (December 5, 2019). The boards from the December 2019 open house are available here: Click to view the boards.
In January 2020, the Steering Committee selected a preferred dike alignment option (discussed in detail below) based on a review of the options against District-Nation common interests, technical/administrative feasibility, and cost. In February 2020, both District and Nation Councils endorsed the preferred dike alignment option for further study and engagement.
You can watch a video of the District council meeting presentation and discussion here: View the February 11 meeting video.
Following this endorsement, the final Dike Master Plan was prepared which documents the options development and selection process, presents the refined preferred dike alignment option (discussed below) and identifies next steps for implementation of the plan.
The final Dike Master Plan was presented to District and Squamish Nation Councils for endorsement on November 10 and 12, 2020 respectively. View the November 10 District of Squamish Council meeting video (Committee of the Whole, item 1).
The selected dike alignment option has two key components:
Presented below, the new dike alignment from Aik’wucks Reserve/Fisherman’s Park to near the southern boundary of Siyich’em Reserve will enable the potential recapture of historic Siyich’em Reserve land lost to erosion and adjacent unceded land claimed by the crown and avoid extensive reconstruction on private property along Eagle Run Drive and Maple Crescent. Addressing the loss of historic reserve land and current dike trespass through the Siyich’em Reserve were key factors in the development of this alignment. In addition, Squamish Nation approval is required for work on reserve land.
The new dike alignment would allow for the decommissioning of three drainage structures to be replaced by a new fish-friendly pump station at the outlet of Jimmy Jimmy (Judd) Slough. The new dike would partially disconnect an existing forested island from the Squamish River. Additional study as identified in the plan is required to better understand the potential impacts and mitigation measures required.
This alignment would likely eliminate the need for future upgrading of the existing dike along Eagle Run Drive from Fisherman’s Park to the Siyich’em Reserve which is located in between Jimmy Jimmy (Judd) Slough and residential properties.
In the Eagle Viewing Area, the work would raise the existing dike by up to 1.5 m additional height and expand the footprint towards Government Road, without impacting the road. Depending on the available space between the existing dike and Government Road, the dike upgrading geometry may involve a grass slope with or without an adjacent berm, or a retaining wall.
You can view the refined conceptual design footprint of the dike upgrade here: Click to view.
In addition to the dike upgrade, the master plan has developed initial conceptual designs for:
A series of next steps is required to advance the Dike Master Plan towards implementation (construction). The next steps for the project include the following, which are discussed in more detail in the plan (view link in Additional Information below):
If you would like additional information, you may wish to review the final Dike Master Plan (without appendices) here:
Alternatively, the following District and Nation staff may be contacted with questions:
David Roulston
Manager of Municipal Infrastructure
District of Squamish
DRoulston@squamish.ca
Austin Chandler
Manager of Squamish Valley Community Operations
Squamish Nation
Austin_Chandler@squamish.net
Geotechnical Drilling Eagle Viewing / Siyich’em Reserve
The District of Squamish, in collaboration with the Squamish Nation, has received a grant to undertake geotechnical investigation work for dike infrastructure through this area. This work will be used to inform the design and feasibility of the dike upgrade option (see map) determined through the Eagle Viewing Area / Siyich’em Reserve Dike Master Plan. The $320k grant was received under the National Disaster Mitigation Program. Work will include drilling six boreholes as shown on the map, over approximately 10 working days. During this time there will be drill rigs, vehicles and personnel working in the area shown on the map. The work will cause some noise and will only be undertaken during normal working hours. Associated work will also include utility locating and minor clearing of vegetation to gain access. Work is in compliance with an Environmental Management Plan that takes into account the pink salmon run.
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