District of West Vancouver wants the Province to establish an inter-agency working group to investigate sources of log debris in Georgia Straight and Howe Sound.
West Vancouver also wants to determine a collective funding source for the removal of log debris from coastlines to minimize ongoing damage and repair costs for individual municipalities, according to a resolution it plans to submit at the 2023 Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Annual Convention.
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In a submission, West Vancouver says log debris in Howe Sound and Georgia Strait is a significant and repeated cause of damage to coastlines, natural assets, and waterfront infrastructure and piers, and poses a risk to public accessibility and safety of waterfront areas. The resolution further states that log accumulation on coastlines is increasing due to frequent storm events in winter and that log removal is cost-prohibitive for municipalities to address on a continuous basis individually and proactively.
Besides asking for a working group, District also want BC to determine a collective funding source for the removal of log debris from coastlines to minimize ongoing damage and repair costs for individual municipalities. However, even though logs and other storm debris are a significant and repeated cause of damage, they can also provide a form of natural erosion protection on beaches and serve as a buffer in low-lying areas.
“In turn, it, can be advantageous to maintain some logs that build up on the foreshore from wave action. That being said, logs have been accumulating on a more frequent basis due to a greater frequency of storm and coastal flood events causing damage to District property and frequent closures of public areas,” notes a staff report to council.
