Mamquam Blind Channel (MBC) Long-Term Maintenance and Dredging Strategy

The District of Squamish has initiated an ecosystem-based channel maintenance, dredging and funding strategy to support ongoing navigational safety, accessibility, habitat and coastal protection and restoration, and community, cultural and regional economic vitality of the marine/gateway area. This page summarizes the project’s purpose and intended outcomes, key stages and major tasks, and the planned engagement program through 2022-23.

May 2024 UPDATE - Project Status

A status update respecting the completion of the Mamquam Blind Channel (MBC) Maintenance and Funding Strategy was presented to Council at a Special Meeting on Tuesday May 7, 2024.

• View the May 7, 2024 Staff Memo
• View the Staff Presentation

July 20, 2023 UPDATE

A summary of technical findings and early input on channel maintenance options was presented to Council on July 25, 2023 Committee of the Whole:

• View the Staff Report and Discussion Draft 
• View the Staff Presentation

Community engagement activities are being planned to gather input on an early draft of the MBC Maintenance Strategy. Details will be shared on the District's Let's Talk Squamish engagement hub as well as District of Squamish e-News.

The MBC is a critical marine gateway for the Squamish community: for the Sta’7mes community and village site, for recreational boating and watersports key to the tourism sector, as well as industrial, commercial and marine transportation services essential to the local and regional economy. Ongoing sedimentation and changes in the channel, particularly near the confluence of the Stawamus River delta, are impacting safe navigation during low tides. While historic dredging in the MBC has occurred over time to facilitate use of the waterway, in the past 30 years there has been limited dredging. The last significant channel maintenance was undertaken by federal agencies in 1986, with some further dredging in 1996-97. In 2013, it was estimated that to provide safe navigation of the channel, approximately 80,000 to 100,000 m3 of material needed to be removed.

Previous studies identified that the Stawamus River produces approximately 2,500 m3 of sediment annually. A minor dredge project was completed in 2013 removing approximately 5,000 m3 of material from the channel as a short-term stop-gap. The need for a long-term program and funding strategy has long-been recognized.

Establishing a long-term channel maintenance strategy for the MBC was highlighted in the 2016 Official Community Plan, and identified as a priority action in the 2018 Squamish Marine Action Strategy:

The MBC is a designated navigable waterway regulated under the Canadian Navigable Waters Protection Act (CNWA). The study area for the dredging strategy was established with the objective of prioritizing and focusing on navigational safety within the most actively used reaches of the channel (the CN Rail and Highway 99 bridge crossings effectively limit boat traffic). The MBC beyond the rail bridge is a non-scheduled waterway under the CNWA.

Development of the MBC maintenance, dredging and funding strategy is following a four-stage process, initiated in late 2021:

In late April 2022, District of Squamish Council endorsed the scope and engagement plan, including governments, regulators, key stakeholders and the public with interests and who may be impacted by the project. The engagement program also specifies recruitment of a working group to provide local knowledge, perspectives and guidance to the project.

The project involves early and ongoing engagement and involvement with Squamish Nation, as well as soliciting guidance from governmental agencies in the marine realm, and inputs from key stakeholders and the broader community. The project and engagement is being led by a cross-departmental team (Engineering/Environment, Planning, and Economic Development) with technical and administrative project support by Westmar Advisors Ltd.

Through the Fall of 2022 and Winter 2023, the project team solicited intergovernmental input and direction, and hosted a series of technical sessions with the community working group to review the technical information, and provide input on potential dredge areas, impacts, options and funding aspects. A summary of technical findings and early input on channel maintenance options will be presented to Council on July 25, 2023 Committee of the Whole.

Following the Council touch-point in July 2023, several community pop-ups will be held to review initial options and funding approaches and tools for broader community feedback before returning to Council in the Fall 2023.

The project has recruited and is engaging a voluntary cross-sector community working group to advise on the technical channel maintenance and dredge strategy development for the project period. The mandate of the MBC Working Group is to engage with the District and technical consultants to review information, identify the relevant values, needs and community priorities for marine access and coastal protection and stewardship, and provide input, evaluate options and make recommendations on the development of the long-term ecosystem-based dredge management and funding strategy for the Mamquam Blind Channel.

The voluntary working group is advisory and time-limited (to be disbanded upon completing identified tasks). The working group is meeting 3-4 times in 2022-23 and a summary of inputs and findings, as well as recommendations to staff and Council, will be produced as part of a comprehensive engagement summary to be shared as part of the engagement process.

Working group meetings are open to the public as observers; as Chair for the meetings, the District of Squamish will provide opportunity for members of the public to ask questions and offer points of information at the end of meetings.

• 2022 Working Group Terms of Reference
• Working Group Meeting 1 (2022-10-13) - Agenda, Minutes
• Working Group Meeting 2 (2022-11-28) - Agenda, Minutes
• Working Group Meeting 3 (2023-03-06) - Agenda, Minutes

• April 12, 2022 Report to Council, Powerpoint Presentation, Council Video (see item 3v)

David Roulston
Manager of Municipal Infrastructure
[email protected], 604.815.4952

Sarah McJannet
Senior Planner
[email protected], 604.815.5096

Kate Mulligan
Economic Development Officer
[email protected], 604.389.8017