$918,000 erosion protection project along Fraser River in Chilliwack now complete

A section of river bank along the Fraser River is now stabilized and better protected to withstand heavy water flows following the completion of a $918,000 project.

Approximately 210 metres of rock armouring (riprap) was installed this year along the Fraser River just downstream from the Camp Hope intake (located near the north end of McGrath Road), completing the multi-year, multi-phase erosion protection project, the City of Chilliwack announced in a March 10 press release.

“The East Dike near the project site is critical infrastructure that provides flood protection to the majority of the Chilliwack floodplain,” according to a Dec. 7, 2021 staff report. “By stabilizing the bank, the diking will offer a higher level of protection to the community.”

The upgrade done this year marked the completion of phase 2 of the project where large boulders stabilize the river bank to protect it from heavy river flows.

“Chilliwack has an extensive diking network along the Fraser and Vedder River systems,” Mayor Ken Popove said. “Our dikes are inspected and maintained on a regular basis, as part of the city’s Flood Response Plans, and this long-planned riprap is a welcome addition to the infrastructure that keeps our community safe.”

The two-phase project began three years ago.

In 2019, a 485-metre section of river bank just downstream from the Camp Hope intake, was identified for erosion protection. That same year, rock armouring was completed along 275 of the 485 metres as the first phase of the project.

Construction on phase 2 began in January 2022, following agency approvals for the Provincial Water Sustainability Act, Dike Maintenance Act and Federal Fisheries and Oceans.

There were riprap upgrades done to the east of the 485-metre section back in 2014.

READ MORE: Erosion protection work on Fraser River set to stabilize Chilliwack’s east dike

The $918,000 project was funded in part through a $750,000 provincial grant from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund, provided by the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and administered by the Union of BC Municipalities.

Now that it is complete, the Camp Hope intake bank erosion protection project will increase the stability of the adjacent diking, located approximately 15 metres from the banks of the Fraser River, the city stated.