Mud Bay Foreshore Enhancements

Mud Bay Nature-Based Foreshore Enhancements

If you are an avid or occasional user of the wonderful pathway along Mud Bay and all the way out to Tsawwassen, you will probably have noticed a great deal of work going on along the shorefront.  This is a very timely and interesting project that will benefit all of us, but especially the critical wildlife that makes this shoreline their home for so much of the year.

With the anticipated impacts of climate change and a rising sea level, the City developed a Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy (CFAS) to help Surrey become more resilient to coastal flooding including reinforcing dykes and adapting critical infrastructure. This process entailed extensive community consultation from 2016 to 2019.

The Mud Bay Nature-based Foreshore Enhancements Project is one of the recommended actions in CFAS. It will help protect Surrey’s residents, farms, critical infrastructure including Highway 99, BNSF Railway, regional power and sewer lines, and internationally recognized bird and wildlife habitats from sea level rise.

It is part of Surrey’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) Program which consists of 13 coastal flood adaptation projects that received a funding investment of over $76 million from the Government of Canada’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund. All projects must be completed by end of 2027 to receive funding.

The Mud Bay Nature-based Foreshore Enhancements Project is a partnership between City of Surrey, City of Delta and Semiahmoo First Nation. The project involves a nature-based approach to flood protection known as a living dyke.  The project will begin with Pilot Studies to test stabilization techniques for the living dyke in two locations in Mud Bay. (Courtesy of City of Surrey website: https://www.surrey.ca/services-payments/water-drainage-sewer/flood-control-and-prevention/coastal-flood-adaptation-projects/mud-bay )