The City of Burnaby is assessing the environmental damage to a portion of a Stoney Creek tributary undergoing rehabilitation work, following a rainstorm last week.
James Lota, an assistant engineering director with the City of Burnaby, said city crews are currently assessing the impact from sediment on the fish habitat along a salmon-bearing stream near Ash Grove Crescent in the Forest Grove area. He indicated an assessment report could be ready by next week.
The city had contractors working in the area to reline a culvert, but heavy rains last Friday appeared to cause erosion in the construction area, filling the stream with sediment.
“It was the heavy rains really that caused it all, it was the rain event after weeks and weeks of dry [conditions],” Lota told the NOW on Wednesday.
He explained the contractor had bypass pumps onsite that were working the night before and into Friday, but then they failed. Now the city is trying to figure out the root cause of the pumps’ failures.
Lota noted city officials were out at the site the next day to start assessing the damage to fish in the stream.
Besides the sediment issue, the heavy rains also washed out a section along Kinder Morgan’s pipeline on Gaglardi Way, leaving it exposed.
The two incidents, which are related to the Stoney Creek rehabilitation project, had local streamkeepers warning about the damage from the work.
John Preissl, a local volunteer streamkeeper, has been keeping an eye on the project and questioned the timing of work on the Burnaby Mountain slope in the rainy season.
“They’re in trouble here,” he said, “This should never have happened.”
“This place is such a mess.”
Preissl suggested if heavy rains hit again Friday (Nov. 6), the city won’t have the manpower to deal with the fallout.
However, Lota said any further rainfall shouldn’t be an issue.
He said the slope is stabilized and Kinder Morgan crews are off the mountain, while work on the culvert rehab is finishing up.
Lota pointed out back-ups pumps are in place and once the grouting is complete, and the risk of another situation is a “non-issue.”
As for why the city decided to carry out the work at this time of year, Lota said the municipality tried to get the project finished earlier, but crews were busy with other projects.
“The culvert was in bad shape, which was compromising the slope stability, which is why the urgency for the project to happen as soon as possible,” he said.
-With files from Jennifer Moreau
