C010-10
Watercourse Management Policy
Purpose of this policy
1 To outline the watercourse management along City maintained rivers, creeks, streams, ditches and dykes within the area outlined on Map D-660, Lowland Watercourse Classification.
Definitions
2 In this policy
"City Maintained Watercourses" means all watercourses, which are designated on Map D-660, Lowland Watercourse Classification.
"Private Structures" means any and all structures, which access, traverse, remove water for irrigation purposes, confine, redirect, or in any manner infringe upon a watercourse defined to be City maintained, such as driveways, weirs, docks, bridges, irrigation suction pipes, field drains, pipe supports, hydrants, livestock watering areas, or any other works not placed by the City or its agent.
Guiding principles
3 The City shall maintain the watercourses referenced in Map D-660 to provide the best possible drainage and irrigation within the limits of the taxation budgets levied against properties in the District.
Private structures and works
4 (1) All watercourses within the City are under the jurisdiction of the "Fish Protection Act", "Water Act", and "Fisheries Act". Any permanent and/or temporary works may require approval from the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
(2) All drainage, irrigation and other Private Structures, as listed herein, may only be installed with the approval of the City.
(3) Requests for permanent structures shall be presented to the City Engineer for approval, and adhere to all listed requirements, Acts, by-laws, and policies.
(4) Permits for construction of various works shall be obtained from the appropriate Provincial and/or local government. A copy of all permits must be filed with the City.
(5) The requirements of the “"Water Act" and the "Fisheries Act" must be met in reference to Provincial and Federal requirements.
Special conditions
(a) Water Licenses are issued by the Regional Water Allocation Officer to allow for the extraction of water from watercourses. This license is issued for varied purposes, i.e. irrigation, stock watering, domestic use or other reason. The license is a privilege held in perpetuity against the land referenced on the license. Annual fees must be paid to retain the license. The licenses are not administered by the City, but by the Ministry of Environment, Water Allocation Branch, Regional Office, Surrey,B.C.
(a) Keepers of livestock, who prefer to allow free range of livestock and access to natural watercourses for the purpose of watering, shall construct a fenced watering place, which is set back from the main stream of the free running watercourses and based on the design provided to the City by the Ministry of Agriculture. The cost to construct the watering place shall be that of the livestock keeper desiring to utilize the watercourse. The City accepts no responsibility for disputes between Provincial and/or Federal Environmental agencies and the keeper of livestock.
(b) Fencing of water holes along the course of streams and/or ditches shall protect:
(ii) the banks against sloughing; and
(3) Buildings, Structures, and Wharves
(a) Buildings and other structures shall be set back as per the requirements of Abbotsford Zoning By-law, 1996.
(b) Bridges will be constructed to approved plans and materials. Location and plan approval will be by the City Engineer.
(c) Wharves in Sumas Prairie shall be of the floating type, and the necessity of piling type wharves will be assessed by the City Engineer.
(d) Bank protection carried out by a private individual shall be approved by the City Engineer. Type of protection material may require approval by the Ministry of Environment, Water Management Branch, Regional Office, Surrey, B.C.
(a) Private access to the dykes shall be approved by the City Engineer and the Provincial Inspector of Dykes.
Ditch cleaning
6 (1) Ditch cleaning shall be carried out on a rotation basis, and will generally be performed from September through April of the following year.
(2) Land owners will be notified when their area will be cleaned.
Wind erosion of soil
7 The erosion of soil by wind on the Sumas Prairie has been a major problem. To reduce the loss of fertile soil and thereby minimize ditch cleaning work, the farming community should apply good soil maintenance practices. The Ministry of Agriculture and the City can provide advice on this subject.
Removal of vegetation - ditches
8 (1) The City shall clean and maintain those ditches and watercourses, as designated on Map D-660, Lowland Watercourse Classification.
(2) Vegetation growing adjacent to ditches, as designated on Map D-660, which does not impede the flow of water or create snow drift concerns, shall not be removed.
(3) Ditches which are not designated on Map D-660, shall be kept clean by the adjacent land owner.
Ditch maintenance
9 (1) A bridge or culvert of sufficient size shall be installed where cattle must regularly cross a ditch. The City may carry out the work and charge the owner where excessive sloughing of ditch walls creates a problem.
(2) Farmers, who are found to be responsible for manure or any other substance unlawfully entering a creek or drainage ditch, shall be requested to clean the watercourse as far downstream as the material has drifted.
(3) Roadside ditches, which are mainly used for farm land drainage, shall be fenced by regular or electric materials that can easily be moved for cleaning purposes.
Tree planting
10 (1) The direction of the prevailing winds on Sumas and Matsqui Prairies is from the northeast or east during intense winter storms, which are frequent from November through March. Accordingly, trees and shrubs shall be planted on the south and west sides of roads and ditches.
(2) Owners, who choose to plant trees after September 2001 on the north and east sides of roads or drainage ditches, shall use 10 meter spacing, if the trees are closer than 30 meters to the road or ditch.
(3) Trees, which are beneficial in reducing ditch growth when planted consistently along a watercourse, shall be encouraged as windbreaks for soil conservation.
(4) Given the scope of the windbreak and the size of land parcels on Sumas and Matsqui Prairies areas, trees used for windbreaks and shade cover along watercourses shall be deciduous. Trees shall be trimmed or pruned along the trunk to a elevation of 2.5 – 3.0 meters to allow windbreak action and machine maintenance. Thickly spaced coniferous bushes and trees are not suitable because they may fail under extreme wind conditions.
(5) Hardwood species, such as Maple (Acer), Oak (Quercus), Beech (Fagus), Ash (Fraxinus) etc., shall be used. Species, such as Poplar (Populus) and Cottonwood (Populus), are prone to wind damage when trees mature. (f) Native species, such as Willow (Salix Sitchensis) and Dogwoood (Cornus Stolonifera), are suitable for creek and channelized streams within Matsqui and Sumas Prairies. These shrub trees stabilize shade, maintain habitat along watercourses, grow well, and are generally less than ten meters in height. They also provide adjacent farmland with a buffer along creeks and streams.