[This is the synopsis of the proposal by the Joint First Runner-Up in the 1997 Fraser Institute/Financial Post Economy in Government Competition. This year's contest focused on the efficient delivery of programs at the local government level.]

Recent media reports on the latest national census figures have confirmed what many already suspected: the City of Surrey, located in southwestern BC, continues to experience the highest growth rate of all large Canadian cities (an increase of 24.2 percent between 1991 and 1996).

Surrey's booming population has presented a challenge to City Engineers and Managers in ensuring that the maintenance and construction of road, water supply, storm water management, and sanitary sewer systems keep pace with development without sacrificing the city's natural resources.

Engineering Capital Programs in Surrey have ranged from $40 to $50 million annually in recent years. With over 250 km of watercourses throughout the city—including some of the Lower Mainland's most significant fisheries streams such as the Fraser, Serpentine, Nicomekl, and Little Campbell Rivers—many of these works unavoidably are located in, and adjacent to, streams or ditches. Until recently, capital and emergency works in and about any watercourse required prior approval by the Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks (MOELP) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to provide for the safeguarding of fish habitat.

Acknowledging the significance of the City's aquatic habitat, and in an effort to streamline works and provide for greater flexibility in their completion, Surrey worked with both MOELP and DFO over a period of four years to develop a mutually beneficial approach to managing the city's watercourses. The results of this partnering are a colour-coded stream classification map that categorizes Surrey's creeks and aquatic habitats according to environmental sensitivity, as well as the development of procedures for both emergency and planned in-stream works conducted by the city.

Formerly, as part of the approvals process, Surrey was required to complete a project list of capital works in October for review by an environmental consultant and subsequent application in March to environmental agencies for permission. All project sites, regardless of habitat value, were inspected by environmental consultants retained by the city, with the construction of all instream works required to take place within the "fish window" between July 15 and September 15 when the fish life cycle is less sensitive to impacts and salmon are unlikely to be present. Since Surrey was competing with other time-sensitive projects in the Lower Mainland for a fixed supply of labour and machinery, construction costs were at a premium.

Envirowest Consultants were retained to undertake a complete assessment and classification of all watercourses within Surrey based on an update of watercourse mapping completed by McElhanney Engineering Services in 1994. Site assessments were also carried out in several selected watersheds to confirm and verify the framework for a city-wide classification system.

Subsequent to the development of the stream classification map, procedures were implemented to manage scheduled and emergency instream works in Surrey. After extensive consultation, the classification map and related instream works procedures were refined and approved in principle by MOELP and DFO, subject to an annual audit. At the time of this writing, it was anticipated that a memorandum of agreement between Surrey, MOELP, and DFO for the classification map and instream works procedures would be signed in June of 1997.

Surrey’s new stream classification map and instream works procedures are expected to:

• Ensure environmental protection of Surrey’s sensitive natural heritage;
• Streamline approvals and notification procedures with MOELP and DFO;
• Improve the city’s ability to deal with emergency situations and reduce risk and liability;
• Allow for better planning in instream capital works and maintenance programs;
• Allow construction to proceed outside the fish window;
• Result in administrative, consulting and construction cost savings;
• Provide for greater flexibility, control and efficiencies in completing the required works.

The classification map can also be used by engineers, planners, and agencies such as the BC Ministry of Transportation and Highways or the Greater Vancouver Regional District in the assessment of land use and construction of works in Surrey. Considerable interest has been expressed by other BC cities, municipalities, provincial agencies, and corporations in developing similar watercourse maps and procedures modeled on the proven successes of Surrey’s experience.

As a first in British Columbia, and with the endorsement of all three levels of government, Surrey’s stream classification map and instream works procedures will help achieve the common goal of preserving fish habitat within the city.