A proposed residential development along the Mamquam Blind Channel will likely play a large role in shaping Squamish’s waterfront, says a municipal engineer.
On Tuesday (June 24), District of Squamish officials examined diking plans for the four-storey Mireau development off Loggers Lane. What goes in along the project’s foreshore will set the tone for future developments lining Squamish’s waterways, district engineer David Roulston said.
“The flood protection measures implemented to Mireau will be precedent-setting,” he said.
The project’s proponents are proposing to construct a vertical, sheet-metal wall, behind which would be filled with earth. The wall would rise five metres above level, Roulston noted. While that works for today’s standards, to accommodate anticipated sea level rise beyond 2100, the dike can be raised with a reinforced concrete wall, he said.
Sheet diking has a smaller footprint than earth-filled dikes. That will allow for greater use of the Mamquam Channel Waterway, by reducing encroachment into the channel, Roulston said. Dredging is not possible within 10 metres from the toe of the dike.
While the sheet pile dike is more expensive to construct than an earth-packed dike, maintenance of the wall is cheaper over time, Roulston noted.
The district will need to continue the sheet dike along its newly acquired park between Victoria Street and Main Street. That will cost $269,100 more than it would to build the earth counterpart — equating to $1,014,840 overall. However, the municipality will save $625,310 in maintenance bills over 50 years, Roulston said.
