Cougar Creek in Delta:
Northeast Interceptor
When it reaches more level terrain near the old
Westview peat plant at approximately Westview Drive and 72nd Avenue,
Cougar Creek originally continued on a southwesterly route through Burns
Bog and out to Boundary Bay.
Over many decades, that original route was gradually
blocked – first by the rail line, then by the peat plant and a major
sewer line, and later by Highway 91 (1986) and a second sewer line.
Around 1970, Cougar Creek and its neighbour to the north, Blake Creek,
were “officially” diverted northward to the Fraser River via a man-made
channel known as the Northeast Interceptor (also sometimes called Davis
Creek).
As a result of this diversion of
Cougar Creek from its natural course, coupled with the growing
deluge of stormwater runoff from upland development, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe tracks are
susceptible to flooding during heavy rains. The creek cannot be easily
channeled under the tracks without destroying fish habitat and causing
sediments to drop out and clog the channel. Nor can the tracks be raised
to allow the creek to pass under, because the trains would then be too
high to pass underneath the nearby 72nd Avenue overpass.
Ideally, the problem should be
addressed at its source, upstream, by retaining or infiltrating
stormwater runoff from huge paved areas in the Scott Road corridor. This
would reduce both runoff and sediments. (See
rain gardens for more on stormwater retention and infiltration.)
Unfortunately, a quicker fix may be needed. Stay tuned as Delta
Engineering and BNSF continue to mull over this conundrum.
Once past the 90 degree turn northward at Westview,
the Northeast Interceptor parallels the raised
railway bed, twinned sewage lines, and a pair of popular multi-use
recreational trails, as it flows north about 3 kilometers to the
Fraser River. It passes between subdivisions to the east and – to the west –
the Delta Nature Reserve, a large ice rink complex, an extensive
shipping container storage facility and a large lumber yard. It finally
empties into the Fraser River just west of the Alex Fraser Bridge. .
Much of this artificial creek bed is gradually
taking on a more natural appearance, with small meanders shaded by a mix
of native and non-native vegetation. Salmon have adapted to this new
route to Cougar Creek’s best spawning grounds just above Westview Drive.
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Cougar Creek