Maple Ridge approves decades-long plan to restore McKenney Creek, revive salmon habitat

Maple Ridge has unanimously endorsed an ambitious long-term plan to restore McKenney Creek, setting the stage for decades of environmental work aimed at improving water quality, reducing flood risks and bringing back a self-sustaining salmon population through one of the city’s most urbanized watersheds.

Council voted July 28 to direct staff to begin phased implementation of the McKenney Creek Restoration and Enhancement Plan, with individual projects and funding requests to return through future budget and business planning processes.

Coun. Sunny Schiller called the plan a reflection of council’s broader environmental priorities of its term. She said the newly completed plan lays out “an important and exciting long-term vision” that extends beyond fish habitat to encompass flood resilience, water quality, connected riparian ecosystems and community stewardship.

“The McKenny Creek Watershed flows through the heart of our community. I’ve already learned so much about this waterway, and there’s so much it can teach us,” Schiller said. “This is a really big project, and it’s a call to action to the community.”

The watershed stretches from agricultural lands in north Maple Ridge through the city’s urban core before connecting to the Fraser River system via the South Alouette River, making it one of the municipality’s most significant ecological corridors.

Landscape architect Jason Wegman of Gökotta Studio Lab, the lead consultant on the project, said the creek cannot be viewed in isolation because it functions as both a natural ecosystem and a critical piece of the city’s drainage infrastructure.

“The plan is looking at the creek not as an individual feature, but at the watershed scale, treating it as a series of places rather than an isolated site,” he said.

Preparing for future growth

A central focus of the plan is preparing McKenney Creek for the growth expected under the Lougheed Transit Corridor Area Plan.

Wegman said redevelopment along the corridor will bring more buildings, roads and other hard surfaces that increase stormwater runoff and place additional stress on the watershed.

Rather than responding after those impacts occur, the strategy aims to integrate watershed restoration with future development so stormwater management, green infrastructure and riparian restoration are planned together.

Hydrological modelling completed for the watershed found that both urban development and climate change are expected to increase runoff pressures over time through more intense storms, warmer water temperatures and longer summer droughts.

Instead of relying on a single solution, the plan recommends layering multiple measures together, including rainwater storage, controlled release systems, water-quality treatment, green infrastructure, drainage improvements and stream restoration.

Wegman said the approach is particularly important because much of the watershed lies within the Fraser River Escarpment Policy Area, where groundwater infiltration is restricted, requiring greater reliance on storage and controlled water release.

The enhancement plan identifies five overarching goals:

• improving flood and climate resilience;
• improving water quality;
• restoring creek and riparian function;
• strengthening community connection and stewardship; and
• creating a healthier urban watershed through integrated rainwater management, restoration and monitoring.

‘Stepping stones’ approach

Rather than attempting wholesale restoration, the strategy proposes what consultants describe as a “stepping stone” approach.

Wegman said restoration will require years of work because of technical, financial, regulatory and land ownership challenges. Breaking the work into manageable phases allows the city to demonstrate visible improvements, build partnerships and adapt as new information becomes available.

He described the vision of restoring a healthy, resilient and self-sustaining salmon population as intentionally ambitious.

“The creek has been affected over time by urban development, agricultural land use, historical channel modification, invasive species encroachment — all of these things which impacted the creek health,” he said, adding the vision is meant to provide long-term direction rather than represent an immediate outcome.

The plan also recognizes that restoration opportunities differ along the creek.

Urban sections would emphasize green infrastructure, water-quality treatment, channel improvements and redevelopment opportunities, while more natural ravines and wetlands would focus on habitat protection, invasive species removal and restoring natural ecological processes.

Community involvement emphasized

One of the recurring themes throughout council’s discussion was the importance of community participation.

Schiller said public engagement conducted during development of the plan showed many residents were unaware McKenney Creek even existed.

She suggested installing additional signage along the creek and providing regular online updates to help residents better understand the project, and encouraged staff to establish a working group of senior city staff and community partners to maintain momentum as council terms change. She also wants the city to explore the creation of a community stewardship organization dedicated to the watershed.

“People and ideas come and go at city hall,” Schiller said. “But for residents personally impacted by this creek and by this project – that will remain constant.”

Consultants had also highlighted opportunities to secure grants from charitable environmental foundations and suggested restored natural features could become an asset that encourages developers to invest in surrounding projects.

During the creation of the plan, the Alouette River Management Society stressed the urgency of beginning restoration work given declining summer river flows and future development pressures, while also expressing optimism that coordinated community action could produce meaningful improvements.

No immediate capital spending

Although council approved moving forward with the plan, the decision does not commit the city to specific construction projects or spending.

The report notes implementation will occur over several decades and remain subject to future council approvals, annual budgets and business planning. The study itself cost about $200,000 to complete and includes preliminary cost estimates for future restoration options, but no defined implementation budget or schedule has been established.

City staff describe the plan as a “living document” that will evolve over time as monitoring, funding opportunities and future development reshape priorities.