New West's dike rehabilitation efforts in Queensborough get a boost

New Westminster’s efforts to improve its dike infrastructure have received a boost from the province.

The City of New Westminster has received $800,000 from the provincial government’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund to put towards rehabilitation of the Queensborough dike to better protect the growing residential and commercial community against floods. The fund is administered by the Union of BC Municipalities.

“Queensborough is one of the fastest growing neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland, and residents there want to know that the city is being proactive in addressing flood mitigation,” Mayor Patrick Johnstone said in a news release. “With the anticipated impacts of climate disruption, building long-term flood resilience requires partnership between provincial and municipal governments. Thank you to UBCM and the province for this investment in the City of New Westminster’s dike enhancement.” 

According to the news release, the city secured provincial funding for the Queensborough Dike Shoreline Protection Rehabilitation project, which focuses on re-establishing eroding dike slopes at two locations on the northeast side of Lulu Island – one behind 345 Gifford St. and the other behind 805 Boyd St.

“While the land use around these areas are commercial and industrial, the failure of the dike would impact the residential area further inland, as well as the bordering City of Richmond,” said the news release. “The project also includes vegetation planting, which will help achieve biodiversity benefits by providing onshore habitat for birds and small animals.”

The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness announced that 49 First Nations and local governments throughout B.C. are receiving provincial funding to help reduce risks from future disasters related to natural hazards and climate change. A total of $23.4 million from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund is being made available to support communities to better prepare for, mitigate and respond to climate-related emergencies, such as floods and extreme temperatures.

“With the unpredictability of weather, having plans and infrastructure in place to keep people safe is essential,” said Richmond-Queensborough MLA Aman Singh. “Our government remains dedicated to building resilient communities, ensuring that both existing and new infrastructure are built to last.”

The City of New Westminster states that the dike rehabilitation project is in alignment with the flood management strategy, which was first developed in 2009 to 2011 to identify and prioritize measures to provide protection to its flood susceptible lands. The strategy designates Queensborough, which has 350 hectares of designated floodplain, as the highest priority for flood protection improvements in the city. 

New Westminster is currently updating its flood management strategy and expect to complete that work in 2023.