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32 Consolidated Environmental Management Plan for Burrard Inlet / Appendices The Inner Harbour Burrard Inlet’s Inner Harbour extends from the First to the Second Narrows, some 8.8 linear kilometres, with a mean depth of 21 meters and a maximum depth of 66 meters. The Inner Harbour is separated from the Outer Harbour by an 18-metre sill at First Narrows and from the Central Harbour by a 14.5-metre sill at Second Narrows. Its waters are well circulated, driven largely by tidal currents in the two narrows. Most of the Inlet’s industrial activity is concentrated here, and little if any of the original shoreline remains unaltered. The shores are characterized by marine and intermodal transport facilities and infrastructure including bulk and container terminals and the rail and road services that connect them to the rest of the continent. In some areas, such as Coal Harbour near Stanley Park and parts of the City of North Vancouver, redevelopment of the older industrial waterfront has created new high amenity residential and recreational areas. The Squamish Nation has three reserves on the Inner Harbour; one at the mouth of the Capilano River, one surrounding the mouth of Mosquito Creek and one at the mouth of the Seymour River. The Central Harbour Burrard Inlet’s Central Harbour consists of the area bounded by Second Narrows on the west, Admiralty Point some 7.8 kilometres to the east, and Turtle Head to the north. Thalweg depths range between 17 and 65 metres. As for the Inner Harbour, the waters of the Central Harbour are well circulated, with fresh water input from the Seymour River and tidal exchange in the Second Narrows. Bordering North Vancouver District, the City of Burnaby and the Village of Belcarra, the harbour contains both modifi ed and natural shoreline. The Maplewood Wildlife Conservation Area is located on the north shore. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has a reserve on the Central Harbour’s northern shore. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has established a Rockfi sh Conservation Area on the south shore of the Central Harbour. Port Moody Arm Port Moody Arm, the eastern most portion of Burrard Inlet, is relatively shallow (average depth about 10 m) and has relatively slow circulation with little direct freshwater infl ow. Most of its shores fall within the City of Port Moody. The Arm development is mostly suburban in nature, with some signifi cant industrial uses. Trails, parks and recreational marinas border much of the basin. The area includes the important recreational areas of Admiralty Park and Belcarra Regional Park. The eastern end of Port Moody Arm contains extensive tidal fl ats that have important habitat values for fi sh and wildlife. The 2009 Burrard Inlet Habitat Inventory found Central Harbour and Port Moody Arm to host the majority of unaltered habitat. Indian Arm Indian Arm is the most pristine area of Burrard Inlet. It is a steep-sided, 30-kilometre long fjord that branches north from the Central Harbour east of the Second Narrows. It has a mean depth of about 120 m, a maximum depth of 218 m, a 27 m deep sill at the entrance and steep mountain walls. Tsay Nuth Khaw Yum Provincial Park encompasses the shores of the northern part of Indian Arm fjord. This 6,821-hectare park encompasses old-growth forests, several alpine lakes, a 50 m high waterfall (Granite Falls), a large alluvial fan, numerous creeks and the Indian River estuary. The Indian River estuary is a vital protected habitat for species of prawn, crab, salmon and waterfowl. Harbour seals also commonly frequent the area. Indian Arm Marine Provincial Park consists of Raccoon and Twin Islands. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has established Rockfi sh Conservation Areas in Indian Arm at Twin Islands and at Croker Island. The Indian River enters the extreme north end of Indian Arm and creates a marshy delta that attracts wildlife. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has a reserve in the Indian River estuary at the head of Indian Arm.
Traditional Uses of Burrard Inlet Burrard Inlet’s natural deep-sea harbour and lowlands have been a setting for successive waves of human settlement. Centuries ago, Burrard Inlet constituted part of the traditional territories of many Coast Salish peoples, including the Tsleil-Waututh, the Squamish and the Musqueam Nations. These people utilized the region’s rich resources such as salmon, clams, mussels, and eulachon for food. They used Douglas fi r, western red cedar and bark to make homes, canoes, clothes and other items. A range of berries and aquatic plants also formed important parts of their traditional diet. Recent discoveries of cultural artefacts at Locarno Beach and shell midden sites testify to the presence of First Nations in Burrard Inlet as early as 500 BC (Douglas College, Institute of Urban Ecology). European settlement of Burrard Inlet began in the mid- 1800s. The Inlet’s natural deep harbour accommodated ocean-going vessels and the fl at topography of the surrounding lowlands provided an ideal location for urban settlement and industrial expansion. In 1863, the fi rst industrial plant in the Lower Mainland, Pioneer Sawmills, appeared on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet. A year later the harbour’s fi rst export cargo was a shipment of lumber from Pioneer Sawmills to Australia (FRAP 1998). With the extension of the transcontinental railway to British Columbia in 1886, the transformation of Burrard Inlet into one of the largest port operations in North America began. Urban Pressures on the Burrard Inlet Ecosystem Metro Vancouver is one of the fastest growing areas in North America and is expected to reach a population of over 3.1 million by 2031. The southern portion of Burrard Inlet is designated as part of the regional growth concentration area in Metro Vancouver’s Regional Growth Strategy and will likely absorb a considerable share of the new population growth. In addition, Port Metro Vancouver needs to meet the future demand for increased trade and transportation services. The Consolidated Plan will help ensure the continued sustainability and ecological health of Burrard Inlet within this rapidly growing urban context. 33 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 and 34: Provincial Municipal Sewage Regulat
Page 35: Burrard Inlet encompasses 109,300 h
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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