Glenrose Tidal Marsh Project

Project status

Completed

The Glenrose Tidal Marsh Project consists of three sites located along the Fraser River (south arm), upstream of the Alex Fraser Bridge, in North Delta. The project involved the creation of intertidal freshwater marsh habitat at three locations: Glenrose Downstream, Glenrose Cannery and Gunderson Mudflat. The gross area of the three tidal marsh sites is approximately 15,550 square metres (1.55 hectares).

About the project

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority undertook this project to improve the overall productivity of the Fraser River between the Alex Fraser Bridge and Gunderson Slough, by providing high quality habitat for juvenile salmon rearing. The project was also undertaken in response to requests from Indigenous groups to protect archeological values, as some of the sites had been subject to degradation from erosion and the illegal collection of artifacts and archeological material.

Work at the three sites began in April 2014 and included brush clearing, slope protection, placement of containment berms, channel dredging, and elevation of the substrate for the establishment of marsh habitat using locally-dredged sediments. Planting of marsh vegetation (Lyngbye’s sedge, slough sedge, spikerush, tapered rush, Baltic rush, wapato, hardstem bulrush and cattail) was completed in September 2014.

To ensure that the habitat meets its biophysical objectives, the port authority continues to annually monitor and adaptively manage the sites.

Resources

December 2022 – Project overview