DNV to relocate Kilmer Creek to manage extreme flows

District of North Vancouver will replace undersized culverts and relocate the Kilmer Creek to the west side of Fromme Road between Fredrick Road and Croft Road as part of an ongoing flood mitigation work.

The changes will better prepare the district for extreme flows, such as the one witnessed in Lynn Valley in 2014 when debris blocked a culvert in the area resulting in the creek overflowing onto Kilmer Road and Fromme Road.

The flooding of creeks including Kilmer, Thames and Gallant damaged over 100 homes as well as businesses and Argyle Secondary, where eight classrooms were damaged.

Lynn Valley was the hardest hit area where several homes were evacuated although homes and business in Dempsey, Deep Cove, and Grousewoods were also affected.

The 2014 flood was a one-in-50-year rainstorm event which dumped over 86 millimetres or three and a half inches of rain in 24 hours. The debris in the water from fallen tree limbs, rocks and mud, clogged the culverts and other drainage systems, causing creeks to overflow onto surrounding streets.

The district has since completed a debris hazard risk assessment for 35 of the flood-prone creeks, of which Kilmer, Thames, and Gallant are a priority. Since the study, staff have turned to same strategy for all the three creeks: debris basins. Through straining structures, the basins trap debris such as rocks and tree limbs, which is removed by machines by DNV staff.

Residents can take a trip to the trailhead at the end of the Braemar Road E., where DNV has installed a debris basin along Kilmer Creek.

The latest project will improve resilience to potential flooding from extreme flows, according to a staff report. The proposed budget is $2,704,000, of which $750,000 will be financed through a UBCM emergency fund.