Consolidated Environmental Management Plan for Burrard Inlet ...

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Appendix 2: Burrard Inlet Physical Setting, Uses and Ecosystem 30 Consolidated Environmental Management Plan for Burrard Inlet / Appendices Geography The geographical framework for the Consolidated Environmental Management Plan comprises the entire Burrard Inlet – the waters east of Point Atkinson and Point Grey, including the Outer Harbour, False Creek, the Inner Harbour, the Central Harbour, Port Moody Arm and Indian Arm – together with the upland drainage basin as shown on Map 2 below. The Burrard Inlet drainage basin includes the many rivers and streams fl owing into Burrard Inlet. Using this drainage basin as the basis for this Consolidated Plan is consistent with the ecosystem approach embraced by the BIEAP partnership – an approach that recognizes and addresses the connectivity of all parts of the natural ecosystem. Map 2
Burrard Inlet encompasses 109,300 hectares over an approximate length of 30 kilometres. The Inlet is comprised of fi ve main water bodies: the Outer Harbour, the Inner Harbour, the Central Harbour, Port Moody Arm and Indian Arm. A sixth body, False Creek, adjoins the Outer Harbour at English Bay, south of the First Narrows passage into the remainder of Burrard Inlet. Currents and tides have a large infl uence on water quality conditions in Burrard Inlet. The average daily tidal range is 3.1 meters and currents can reach a maximum of 11 km/hour at the First and Second Narrows. Salinity in outer Burrard Inlet is infl uenced by the Fraser River, especially during summer freshet. Other sources of freshwater include Capilano River, Lynn Creek, Seymour River, the Buntzen Lake Diversion, numerous small creeks and the Indian River at the northern end of Indian Arm. Circulation in Burrard Inlet is estuarine, where relatively fresh surface waters normally fl ow down the inlet, overlying the more saline waters which enter from the Strait of Georgia. In general, Burrard Inlet has relatively good circulation with very few poorly fl ushed areas. In 2009, BIEAP classifi ed the entire shoreline of the inlet into fi ve habitat types: beach, natural rocky intertidal, tidal fl ats/estuaries, riparian, purpose built high value and purpose built low value. Results showed roughly one third of the shoreline is still in its natural state and two-thirds is purpose-built 1 . High value purpose built habitat 2 is the largest category (52% of the total shoreline), followed by purpose built low value 3 and riparian habitat (16% and 17% respectively). Natural rocky intertidal, tidal fl ats/estuaries and beaches comprise 13%, 11% and 7% of the shoreline, respectively. The Outer Harbour The Outer Harbour is the largest sub-area or basin within Burrard Inlet, comprising the waters between the Strait of Georgia and the First Narrows (but not including False Creek). It is the transition area between the Strait of Georgia and the rest of Burrard Inlet. The shoreline has not seen much industrial development or development below the mid-tide levels, but has been signifi cantly altered by the construction of sea walls and the placement of fi ll associated with residential development. These developments have also resulted in the radical alteration of backshore areas with consequent changes in the shoreline character. At lower tide levels, the south shores of the Outer Harbour are characterized by sand beaches. The eastern shores of the Harbour (including English Bay) have historically been but are no longer augmented by the placement of sand to facilitate recreational use. In their original natural state, the eastern shores may have been characterized by cobble or rock beaches. At Point Grey at the southwest parts of the Harbour are found extensive intertidal zones of sand and mudfl at with benches of soft sediment. In contrast, the northern shore of the Harbour (the southern shoreline of West Vancouver) is primarily rocky, with rock and cobble or gravel beaches most common, (although beach augmentation with sand has occurred historically there as well). False Creek False Creek adjoins the Outer Harbour in the southeast at English Bay and extends eastwards some 3.4 kilometres. Its basin is the smallest of the Inlet areas and the shallowest, with depths ranging between 4 and 8 m. Circulation is restricted in False Creek as there is little freshwater input. Most of the shoreline has been hard surfaced for seawalls and public paths, and there is a signifi cant amount of residential and commercial development. 1 Purpose built is considered to be any shoreline that has been deliberately altered by humans, including areas of restored shoreline. 2 Purpose built high value refers to riprap. 3 Purpose built low value refers to retaining walls. 31 Appendices / Consolidated Environmental Management Plan for Burrard Inlet
Page 1: Consolidated Environmental Manageme
Page 5 and 6: Foreword The Burrard Inlet Environm
Page 7 and 8: Executive Summary Burrard Inlet is
Page 9 and 10: Burrard Inlet Environmental Action
Page 11 and 12: Physical Settings Burrard Inlet is
Page 13 and 14: BIEAP Partners Environment Canada E
Page 15 and 16: Municipalities The municipalities f
Page 17 and 18: Water Quality Water quality informa
Page 19 and 20: Sediment Quality Contamination pres
Page 21 and 22: conducted by Environment Canada and
Page 23 and 24: to conserve a wide range of migrato
Page 25 and 26: strategies to preserve environmenta
Page 27 and 28: Goals and Objectives 1 Improve 2 Im
Page 29 and 30: Funding Commitments for Implementat
Page 31 and 32: Appendix 1: Glossary BIEAP Partners
Page 33: Provincial Municipal Sewage Regulat
Page 37 and 38: Traditional Uses of Burrard Inlet B
Page 39 and 40: Map 3 Monitoring One of the key com
Page 41 and 42: Appendix 4: Community Groups and St
Page 43 and 44: ) “Consensus” means lack of dis
Page 45 and 46: Public Involvement 16. Public invol
Page 47: Appendix 6: BIEAP Partners Environm
Page 50: BIEAP/FREMP Suite 501, 5945 Kathlee

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