Maplewood Marine Restoration Project

August 27, 2018

Project status

Permit issued

On February 6, 2019 a project permit was issued to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Habitat Enhancement Program (HEP) to develop the Maplewood Marine Restoration Project. The project is located immediately south of the Maplewood Flats Conservation Area which is two kilometres east of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia in federal waters managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

The project was approved subject to 47 permit conditions the port authority’s Habitat Enhancement Program project team must meet to ensure the project does not result in significant adverse environmental effects.

Construction is anticipated to begin late summer 2019, for a period of approximately eight months. The transplantation of the eelgrass will commence the following year. For more information about the project and construction activities, please go to the HEP project page.

About the project

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Habitat Enhancement Program is proposing to develop the Maplewood Marine Restoration Project for use as a fisheries habitat offset for the construction of the Centerm Expansion Project. The proposed Project is located in Burrard Inlet, south of the Maplewood Flats Conservation Area in the District of North Vancouver. The habitat area will include intertidal habitat, subtidal eelgrass habitat, and a rock reef habitat.

The proposed project would convert sections of a deep basin, historically dredged in the 1940’s, into more productive fish habitat by infilling to create shallow intertidal and subtidal habitats in the Northeast Basin. Dredging of the Southwest Channel and creating new rock reef habitat is proposed to improve tidal flushing in the basin and enhanced water quality, nutrient transportation and reduce siltation of marine vegetation. The habitat enhancement is anticipated to facilitate greater suspension and distribution of eggs and larvae of pelagic spawning fish and invertebrates. The proposed Maplewood Marine Restoration Project would result in the conversion of approximately seven hectares of low-value, deep marine habitat, into more productive habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife.

Proposed project activities and components include:

Southwest Channel and rock reef habitat

Dredge approximately 87,000 m³ of material from the Southwest Channel. The channel will be dredged to improve intertidal flushing and to create an access point for construction barges.
Place approximately 14,000 m³ of rock material into Southwest Channel along the base of the channel and along the side slopes of the channel to function as subtidal rock reef habitat and to protect against scour from tidal currents.

Northeast Basin intertidal, subtidal eelgrass, and rock reef habitats

Infill the Northeast Basin with approximately 87,000 m³ of dredge material from the Southwest Channel and approximately 95,000 m³ of imported clean fill material to raise the elevation of the existing substrate and create habitat areas.
Install geotextile fabric or rock filter material on the infill slope to prevent the loss of fines through the rock dyke.
Place approximately 1,800 m³of appropriately-sized rock material to construct a rock dyke to contain the fill material.
Place approximately 6,000 m³ of appropriately-sized rock material to construct rocky reef habitat at the toe of the rock dyke. It is expected that a number of rock reef structures will be placed in the Northeast Basin, up to 10 m apart to create internal channels and to provide edge habitat. Rock sizes would range from 300 mm to 900 mm.
Install a rip-rap apron in the mouth of the existing barge channel covering approximately 300 m². The apron is expected to protect intertidal habitat areas from scour at the outlet of the barge channel.
Following construction and habitat stabilization, common eelgrass (Zostera marina) from suitable donor beds will be planted in the Northeast Basin.

Construction works are anticipated to be complete by barge using clam-shell dredge and scows or other suitable marine equipment.

Resources

February 2019 – Approved Project Permit (17-278): VFPA HEP Maplewood Marine Restoration Project [PDF]
February 2019 – Project and Environmental Review Report: VFPA HEP Maplewood Marine Restoration Project [PDF]

December 2018 – Application Review Public Comment Period Summary Report: VFPA HEP Maplewood Marine Restoration Project [PDF]
December 2018 – Application Review Public Comment Period Consideration Report: VFPA HEP Maplewood Marine Restoration Project [PDF]

Contact information

To learn more about the Habitat Enhancement Program’s project and construction activities, please go to the project website or contact Charlotte Olson, Manager, Infrastructure Habitat Development by email or phone at 604.665.9590.

For questions regarding the Project and Environmental Review process, please contact Lisa McCuaig, Environmental Specialist by email or phone at 604.665.9527.