Public notice 

Fraser River Navigation Channel Maintenance Dredging – Public comments invited 

January 10, 2022 – As part of its Project and Environmental Review process, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority must determine whether the proposed Fraser River Navigation Channel Maintenance Dredging, occurring in the lower 36 km of the Fraser River, from Sand Heads to New Westminster (kilometre marker -1 to kilometre marker 35) is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Written comments to be received by February 8, 2022

To help inform this determination and a decision on whether or not to approve the proposed project, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online.  For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website. In addition, your contact information may be shared with third parties, e.g., the tenant, other relevant agencies, to help respond to your questions and inform possible mitigations. 

Written comments must be submitted by February 8, 2022 to: 

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority 
Project and Environmental Review 
100 The Pointe, 999 Canada Place 
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6C 3T4  
per@portvancouver.com 

Proposed Project

The proposed project comprises annual maintenance dredging of the deep-sea shipping channel in the lower 36 kilometres of the Fraser River, from Sand Heads (kilometre marker 1) to New Westminster (kilometre marker 35). The dredging will also include the berths and approaches at DP World Fraser Surrey. The navigation channel will be dredged to the previously approved design width, grade and sub-grades to enable tidal access to DP World-Fraser Surrey Docks for deep-sea vessels with 11.5-metre draughts on a year-round basis. An estimated volume of up to 4 million cubic meters will be removed annually over a five-year period.  

Dredging will be conducted using a trailer suction hopper dredge, cutter-suction dredge, clamshell dredges, scows/barges and supplemental equipment. Dredged material will be pumped ashore to upland locations for reuse, disposed of at an approved disposal at sea site, or disposed of at existing in-river disposal sites. Dredging will be conducted 24 hours per day, 7 days per week during the dredge season, roughly mid to late June to February 28, annually. 

Document Reference Number: 1

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