March 10, 2006
Follow the Muddy Brown Creek
Setting out on our regular walk around Byrne Creek at noon, my wife and I could hear from a distance that the water was still running high, at least seven or eight hours after a rare dusting of snow had fallen overnight.
We caught glimpses of the creek through the trees as we walked along the ravine and it looked dirty.
Walking down the Brynlor stairs.
Our impression was confirmed when we reached the bottom of the stairs in the ravine. The water was high, frothy, and coffee-with-milk brown in colour, with near-zero visibility. Runoff following rain or snow is often silty, but this was opaque, and following the major fish kill in the creek just 10 days ago, we were not impressed.
We checked the artificial spawning channel and sediment pond, and could not see a thing, the water was so dirty.
Dark water pouring into the sediment pond from the Southridge culvert.
While we understand it is impossible to contain all silt and dirt in runoff, there is something wrong with this picture. This is not from erosion, for we followed the creek all the way up to where it appears from the storm drain system (it was buried years ago in the upper watershed), and the water there was nearly as bad. So the silt had to be coming from somewhere further up in the watershed.
Byrne Creek between 18th and 17th.
It's not only chemicals and other toxins that streamkeepers worry about, such silty flows are hard on life in the creek as well. Please let Burnaby environmental staff and streamkeepers know if you see dirty water flowing into rain drains (aka storm drains) on streets or in parking lots.
Burnaby Environmental: 604-294-7460
24-hour spill hotline: 604-294-7200