The Fraser River is a richresource shared by myriadcompeting interests. Balancingthose interests requires a solidpublic/private partnership.BY TIM LYNCH

Those who work in the marine industry tend to view the FraserRiver as either a port location, a transportation route or a

fishing area. But the Fraser River is many things to many people:It is the ancestral homelands to several First Nation peoples; amajor Canadian commercial arterial transportation corridor; anda sensitive ecosystem where vulnerable marine life has tosurvive in a predominantly land-based cultural terrain.

The Fraser River belongs to all the people of Canada, andhowever you perceive it, you have to agree it is a very complexand busy environment: Deep-sea container, bulk and cargo shipscall in from different parts of the world; countless other marinevessels use the waterways going about local business andpleasure; and river embankments are dotted with the historicalartifacts of a once-thriving commercial fishing industry — anindustry that strives to survive following an era when it was kingof the domain.

Man-made Canadian transportation corridors like Toronto’s401, Montreal’s Jacque Cartier freeway or BC’s Coquihalla high-way demonstrate how we are able to accommodate the require-ments of modern commerce on land. Managing the flow of waterfrom the Canadian Rockies to the Pacific Ocean and the tidal flowfrom the Gulf of Georgia up the Fraser River so that commerce isencouraged, nature preserved and communities are protectedinvolves many local, national and international interests.Confronted with this array of purposes and interests one istempted to ask the question: Who is in charge of the FraserRiver?

The Fraser River PortAuthority (FRPA)From his fifth-floor office inNew Westminster, CaptainAllen Domaas, President of theFraser River Port Authority(FRPA), has a commandingview looking west out onto theNew Westminster Quay, withFraser Surrey Docks across theriver, and the trifurcation ofthe Fraser River at the easterntip of Annacis Island, with theAlex Fraser Bridge in the back-ground. Unfortunately forCaptain Domaas, the nature ofhis job does not give him much

The Fraser RiverWaterways, Ports and Resources:

26 · MARINER LIFE September 2006

Capt. Allen Domaas, President of theFraser River Port Authority.

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time to look out of his window. Discussing the role of the FRPA,Captain Domaas says “Our mandate is the same as every otherPort Authority under the Canada Marine Act. We are to facilitateand grow national trade. We see ourselves involved in overallland use planning to ensure that there are available opportunitiesfor terminals and off-docks appropriately linked with road, railand marine connections.”

Explaining the relationship among federal, provincial andmunicipal governments, Captain Domaas points out that “ThePort Authority administers all federal lands along the Main Stemof the Fraser River estuary. We also administer the provincialland at the lower part of the river under a head lease with theProvince of British Columbia. Our mandate involves administer-ing the submerged land at the bottom of the water and the navi-gation that occurs on the surface of the river. For instance, whenpeople want to install a boat storage we rent them that feder-al/provincial land. They occupy that land by putting pilings in tohold the building they are putting up in place. We manage thesurface traffic, by setting up channel boundaries and safetyzones. We then monitor to ensure users don’t encroach on theseactivities. We do that in conjunction with Marine Traffic Safety,whichWe then monitor to ensure users don’t encroach on theseactivities. We do that in conjunction with Marine Traffic Safety,which is Transport Canada responsibility. Transport Canada alsoadministers the protection of the navigating zone through theNavigable Waters Protection Act. Anyone wanting to dischargeinto the Fraser has to comply with the provincial waste manage-ment regulations.” He describes the management of the River as“A complex web. It is a very integrated set of regulations unlikesome competitors in the Orient where the national governmentcontrols everything. It is nothing like that here.”

A detailed account of the “rules of the road/river” are availablein the Authority’s 61 page Technical Specifications Handbook,which can be downloaded from their website (see sidebar). Inaddition to outlining the channel lanes that ships are required tofollow in their use of the river, this document provides graphicexplanation of all dimensions associated with navigating a vesselalong the river both in terms of the ships specifications and thetype of terrain and sub-terrain that can be expected. TheAuthority’s 21 page Practices and Procedures Manual, which canalso be downloaded from their website, provides detailedaccounts of the obligations one has to assume in traveling thewaterways and using the ports along the river estuary. CaptainDomaas takes pride in the role FRPA plays in being responsible toits neighboring communities along the river, which includestaking responsibility for the environmental impact of the trafficusing its ports. These goals are served through FraserPort’s active participation in the Fraser River EstuaryManagement Program.

A Cooperative ApproachThe Fraser River Estuary Management Program (FREMP) over-sees the Fraser River’s complex ecosystem through a memoran-dum of understanding among the federal departments ofFisheries, Transportation and Environment, the BC Ministry ofthe Environment, the Greater Vancouver Regional District(GVRD) as well as the Fraser River Port Authority and the NorthFraser Port Authority. While the river/sea interface of the FraserRiver is unique, similar concerns are addressed within theVancouver Port Authority through the Burrard InletEnvironmental Action Plan (BIEAP). BIEAP is focused more onthe environmental concerns of Burrard Inlet, but given their sim-ilarity in membership and common purposes both organizationshave been conjointly administered since 1996.

At her office in Burnaby, Anna Mathewson, manager for bothprograms, explains that the FREMP and BIEAP partnerships arefunded by each of the program partners annually contributing$45,000. Describing the difference between FREMP and BIEAP,she say “The vision of FREMP is a sustainable estuary. We aredealing with a living and working river. The FREMP programfocuses on environmental quality and human activities in theestuary. The estuary is described as a menagerie; you have ship-ping, fishing, cargo transportation, log booming and lots of indus-trial activity still happening on the Fraser and you haveresidential and urban development happening along the embank-ments. Our plan has to reflect these realities. BIEAP is an envi-ronmental action program established to protect and improveenvironmental quality in Burrard Inlet, whereas FREMP is anestuary managementprogram that encom-passes the habitat, waterquality, economics, andindustrial development.”

Commenting on theway FREMP functions,Mathewson explains that“Each of the agencies atthe table has their ownactivities and mandatesout in the field. FREMPhelps them coordinatetheir policies, and theestuary managementplan is intended to reflect what they want to achieve in common.FREMP also provides a one-window environmental review forapplications on foreshore, physical works like marine building orupgrading. Proponents doing work on the main stem of the rivergo to Fraser Port (or, on the North Arm, to North Fraser PortAuthority) and they bring the project to the FREMP inter-agencyEnvironmental Review Committee. The Committee produces aletter of recommendations on the proponent’s application. ThePort Authority concerned makes the ultimate decision, butFREMP serves to provide a coordinated environmental review ofa project. All property users on the estuary should know aboutthis review process. The FREMP Environmental ReviewCommittee meets every two weeks; we have a totally transparentsystem including a public log on our website of all proceedingsdealing with an application and the FREMP letter of recommen-dation. Anything in the foreshore area goes through this coordi-nated review process. This approach benefits all parties and it isa better use of time and resources.“

fraser river

The development of the BC Packers land in Steveston demonstrates how thehistorical embankments of the Fraser River are changing from industrial usesto high-density residential uses.

An Avadepth chart. Now available on the Internet,Avadepth (“Available Depths”) was developed in

1986 to assist river pilots in determining maximumdraft and best sailing times on the Fraser River.

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Mathewson acknowledges, somewhat reluctantly, that FREMPdoes not capture the cultural and social factors influenced by theFraser River. The current purpose of FREMP only extends toindustrial development, and she agrees that there is a need tolink these activities with events unfolding in the uplands, justabove the waterline. She reports that FREMP is involved in somepreliminary activities around such matters that consider detailsjust on the other side of the dike (reach). These reach overviewstudies are differentiating between rich habitats relative to themore urban and industrial areas of development along the riverembankment.

Navigating the DepthsThe depth of the Fraser River can change significantly dependingon the quantity of water flowing down from the Rockies, and tidalpatterns flowing up from the Gulf of Georgia. As reported in anearlier article (“Flood Mitigation in the BC Lower Mainland,”Marine Life, April 2006), FRPA contracts dredging services inorder to maintain appropriate depths in key channels of the river.The Canadian Coast Guard provides a valuable service thatensures that the shipping community is fully informed of all con-ditions and restrictions which might affect safe and efficient nav-igation in Canada’s waterways. This service is particularlycritical for the deep-sea vessels that continually test the limits ofthe river depth by scheduling their inbound and outbound timesto the high tides to try and maximize their loading capacity. Toensure vessels can navigate safely through a river whose bottomis constantly changing, the Coast Guard created “Avadepth.”

Avadepth, an acronym for “Available Depths,” was first devel-oped in 1986 to assist river pilots in determining the maximumavailable draft and the best sailing times on the Fraser River. In1997, Avadepth was made available to the public on the Internetand as technology has changed so has the website. Avadepthnow incorporates new user functionality and interactivity andallows Avadepth clients to calculate transit windows to a mini-mum or maximum draught, view current and historical soundingplans, look at predicted water levels in the river and quickly viewcurrent channel conditions identifying shallow areas in the river.This flexibility was deemed essential for users of the Fraser Riverso that they could respond to the rapid changes in river condi-tions resulting from heavy rains and spring run-off. Figure 1shows the predicted depths for the river’s navigation channelsfrom July 8 to 16, 2006.

As with any other major arterial highway in Canada, navigation

(travelling) along the Fraser River necessitates a unique respectfor marine traffic laws, particularly where large foreign vesselsare concerned. In a future article, Mariner Life will explore therole of the pilots who navigate the large container ships throughthe narrow, busy passages of the Fraser River and along theLower Mainland coastline.

A Balancing ActThe Fraser River is the arterial lifeline of the BC Lower Mainlandand its 2.7 million inhabitants. It is also a complex and evolvingecosystem under great pressure to adjust and change to socio-economic, environmental and global trends. The Fraser BasinCouncil, formed in 1997 is comprised of community groups, busi-ness, as well as federal, provincial, municipal and First Nationsrepresentatives. It serves as an advocacy agency that providesguidance in the management of growth such that it enhances theBasin’s social, economic and environmental health. Mediatingsome understanding among diverse and often short-term inter-ests is an enormous challenge, but an important responsibilityand an urgent priority for the Council to follow if the communi-ties reliant on the terrain are to survive and prosper.

Throughout the researching of this article, the words “partner”or “partnership” frequently came up when discussing the waythe Fraser River functions. Among the users of the River it seemsthere is a common understanding that it is in the best interestsof all concerned to manage the Fraser River so that no one inter-est dominates. The overall intent of such activities is seen asenhancing the rights of individuals living in communities adja-cent to the Fraser River and preserving the sensitive ecosystemthat enriches its embankments as well as accommodates theneeds of global trading ships, local commercial fishing boats andleisure craft. Clearly all levels of government have obligations toensure their constituent responsibilities and obligations areappropriately served. In addition, it is critical that mutuallyestablished rules and regulations serve to preserve a livableenvironment for future generations of British Columbians. Fromthis commonality of purpose the Fraser River is best defined as aworking example the Canadian constitutional tenet “peace, orderand good government.”

Tim Lynch is a public policy analyst living in Steveston.Other marine and fishing policy articles can be read atwww.infolynk.ca/bcfishpolicy.html Send comments totim@infolynk.ca

FRASER RIVER RESOURCESON THE INTERNET

• Fraser River Port Authority website: www.frpa.com• Technical Specifications manual www.frpa.com/navi-

gation/index.html• Practices and Procedures Manual:

www.frpa.com/navigation/procedures.html• The Canadian Coast Guard website for Avadepth:

www2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca• Fraser River Estuary Management Program (FREMP)

and Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Plan(BIEAP) conjoint website: www.bieapfremp.org

• Fraser Basin website: www.fraserbasin.bc.ca

Anna Mathewson from the Fraser River Estuary Management Program. “Thevision of FREMP is a sustainable estuary.” says Mathewson. “We are dealing

with a living and working river.”

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