Concerns about the state of the Island 22 boat launch in Chilliwack, and the road that leads to it, turned into a call for action this week from the Fraser Valley Angling Guides Association and Fraser Valley Salmon Society.
The road to Island 22 Regional Park was deeply rutted with potholes, and the boat launch is in “immediate” need of improvements, according to a letter sent March 1 to the Fraser Valley Regional District from Brandon Wootton of Chilliwack, a director with the Salmon Society, and member of the Guides’ Association.
“It’s impossible to drive more than 10 kilometres an hour on this road safely,” Wootton wrote.
But FVRD Chair Jason Lum fired off a response on Friday (March 4) to clarify that the entire length of Cartmell Road had just been completely graded the day before, from Young Road to the regional park.
The reason it’s important to anglers and fishing guides is because they are holding out hope for a Fraser sockeye fishery opening in 2022, which has not been for the past three seasons in the face of crashing salmon stocks, and the aftermath of the Big Bar slide.
An opening in 2022 would only be authorized by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) if the forecast sockeye returns were going to be sufficient to allow it. If that were the case, the popular Island 22 Regional Park would likely see a significant bump in vehicle traffic towards the end of the summer.
Wootton points out in his letter that historically both fishing-related organizations have a “long and meaningful relationship” with the both Fraser Valley Regional District and the City of Chilliwack, which manage and own the park facility respectively.
He suggested the gate should to be moved closer to the gatehouse to resolve some of the ongoing damage issues.
Lum said there are RVs parked on an adjacent property behind the gate, and those residing in them get trapped in when the gate is locked. The gate’s locks were damaged in several evening incidents so that the gate couldn’t be opened in the morning by the operator.
But shifting the gate location is not as easy as it sounds.
“Moving this gate on the dike requires Provincial Dike Maintenance Act approvals for construction on a dike,” Lum added.
Wootton noted that the boat launch has been in a rough state for two years.
RELATED: Boat launch users warned about getting stuck in the mud
“Only one lane exists in the area where boats can be launched safely,” Wootton said.
Removing the piles of silt and grading the area would be a big improvement.
“Additionally, tamping the area close to the river would result in the area being hardened to help vehicles from becoming stuck.”
Lum replied that the process of clearing the silt requires it to be removed in small sections for the silt to dry out.
The were successive high water incidents during freshet, and then again during the November atmospheric river events, which brought extra silt deposits to the shore.
“The contractor removed silt for several days in November and then his services were needed elsewhere,” Lum said.
Bad weather episodes, that brought snow and ice, kept the contractor from returning until the end of January, and again this week.
Work was completed on March 3 and March 4 to remove the silt piles, and the contractor is exploring creative options for the use of the material such as fill.
“We appreciate our working relationship with the FVSS and appreciate your patience as we work to manage river access at Island 22 and deal with recent water and weather conditions,” Lum added.
RELATED: Demonstration fishery went ahead despite river closure
RELATED: Island 22 protest over too few fishery openings
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