Watercourses and Wetlands

Waterways

Langley's backyard waterways support a fragile biological diversity in an increasingly urbanized setting. The Township of Langley contains over 1,600 linear kilometres of watercourses. Approximately 700 of these are streams that provide direct or indirect habitat for local fish species, including seven salmonid and two endangered fish species. The remaining 900 kilometres comprise roadside and field ditches that primarily serve to drain land and convey water. As many of these ditches were created to drain wetland areas or reroute historical flow patterns, some of them may also provide fish habitat. This network of watercourses draws surface flows from rain and snow, and groundwater flows from the aquifers.

Langley waterways play many important roles. Greenways and forests in the municipality depend on streams and wetlands. The riparian zones surrounding waterways are probably our most productive, ecologically diverse natural lands. Stream bank trees, shrubs, and other plants create wildlife habitats and fish cover, hold banks in place, and moderate stream temperatures.

Watercourse Tips

Watercourse Classification

As of March 1, 2006, all of the Township's watercourses, including roadside watercourses(ditches), have been mapped and classified according to their potential to be fish bearing.

Watercourse Classification Map - Version 3.0

The Township's Watercourse Classification Map is comprised of five colour codes, each of which denotes a certain fisheries value for a given watercourse. Watercourses are coded as either Class A fish-bearing (year-round or seasonal) or non fish-bearing. Of the non fish-bearing watercourses, some provide critical flows and nutrients to downstream fish habitat (Class B), while others are considered insignificant to fish habitat (Class C).

The watercourse classification map provides a common base of information for all users, including developers, environmental consultants, real estate agents, watershed stewardship groups, and the general public. Property owners/potential buyers have access to stream-related information, providing them with guidance for making decisions about their property and greater certainty when dealing with streams and fish habitat.

Streamside property owners: it is your responsibility to ensure that you are in compliance with all federal, provincial, and local rules and regulations that pertain to watercourses and fish habitat which may be affected by the use of your property. Not doing so may result in charges and prosecution under provincial or federal legislation.

Classification Codes

For more detailed information on the respective watercourse classes and the methodology used to classify the watercourses, read the following report:
Watercourse Classification Study

Watercourse Classification Map Definitions:

Limitations of the Map
The map is intended as a guideline for determining the fisheries habitat value for a given watercourse. It flags the presence of watercourses which may require special consideration before making any changes in or around that watercourse. As the map does not contain complete information for all areas, further environmental assessment may be required to verify the classification, the accuracy of the location, or the presence of watercourses that may not be shown.

Dashed lines denote that some information exists, but not enough to determine the fisheries value, while blue lines indicate the presence of known watercourses for which no detailed information exists. Based on the requirements of provincial and federal environmental agencies, all unclassified (blue) or dashed watercourses must be properly verified by a qualified professional and accepted by DFO before any works in or around the watercourse can be approved.

Relevant Federal, Provincial and Municipal Legislation

Federal Fisheries Act

No person may cause the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat without prior authorization (section 35); and

No person shall deposit or permit the deposit of a deleterious substance of any type in water frequented by fish or in any place under any conditions where the deleterious substance or any other deleterious substance that results from the deposit of the deleterious substance may enter any such water (section 36).

Referrals and authorizations are required from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) for all works that have the potential to impact fish habitat, including instream works, alteration to streamside areas, and discharge of deleterious substances into fish habitat. (This includes sediments that may be released during instream works.)

Provincial Water Act(section 37)

No person may proceed with a change in and about a stream unless it is
(a) Authorized by an approval, licence or order, or
(b) Made in compliance with this regulation.

Notification or approval is required for all planned works that may affect water quality or habitat within a stream, and within ditches that provide fish habitat.

Provincial Fish Protection Act

Includes directives for local government protection of streamside areas associated with urbanization. The Riparian Areas Regulation, enacted under Section 12 of the Fish Protection Act in July 2004, calls on local governments by March 31, 2005 to protect riparian areas during development by either ensuring that proposed activities are subject to an assessment conducted by a Qualified Environmental Professional or through local methods that are either equivalent to or exceed the requirements of the Riparian Areas Regulation. The Township of Langley chose the latter option and developed its Streamside Protection Bylaw.

Township of Langley Streamside Protection Bylaw

To comply with the new B.C. Riparian Areas Regulation under the Fish Protection Act, the Township of Langley has adopted the Streamside Protection and Enhancement Bylaw 4485 as an amendment to the Official Community Plan. The purpose of Bylaw 4485 is to ensure that necessary precautions are undertaken so that fisheries, wildlife, trees, water resources, soils, property, safety, and recreational values are adequately protected and enhanced, and development impacts are efficiently and properly mitigated.

Watercourse protection is achieved by prescribing non-disturbance setbacks on watercourses based on their fish bearing class as depicted on the Watercourse Classification Map.

The widths of the setbacks are as follows:

No development can occur within the Stream Protection and Enhancement Development Permit Areas. Setbacks must be kept in a completely natural state and be free from development, including removal of vegetation or modification of soils.

For more information, download the Frequently Asked Questions.

Wetlands