s- Wednesday, January 15, 1997 - North Shore News Dear Editor: Some environmentalists would have us believe the accumulation of sediment is detrimental to rivets, which carry these products of evasion. Seventy years of persona! observation in, on and under the streams on the North Shore has shown me that this is not the case, as can be easily shown if a comparison is made between Lynn Creek and Capilano River. These differences may be noted from a driver’s window at 80 km but are better observed on foot. Lynn Creck has an unimpeded flow from its headwaters behind Goat Mountain and Lynn Lake to its mouth west of the Second Narrows. Its bed is a mixture of all sizes of sediment, from huge boulders to the finest sand, the consistency of which has not changed over the years, even though the material itself has been replaced many times as the creek washes it down. The result is a natural -creekbed of ripples, bars, pools and rapids whose ele- vation has remained steady over time. - Before the completion of the Cleveland Dam in 1953 the bed of the: Capilano was of similar compo- ’ sition;'a mixture of ail sizes of river gravel produced ** pools and bars for most of its length. In the stretch below the Upper Levels bridge lay a peal 300 or 400 feet long, up to 10 fect deep with a gravel bottom tapering off to a deep back-eddy on the cast side, a _ -Festing spot for hundreds of salmon every fall. "~~ "The west bank was a sloping beach of mixed sand, : gravel. and rocks. Under: the upper Marine Drive bridge was another pool deep enough to swim in, a rp for fishermen’s lures for which we dived in the al The construction of the dam and the subsequent filling of Capilano Lzke intercepted all the sediment which had formerly worked its way through the sys- tem. - Over the fast 43 years this has resulted in the for- mation of two large deltas in the upper reaches of the fake: one at the head from the Capilano itself, the other on the east side from the incredibly steep Crown Creek. These deltas contain hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of gravel that no longer can make its way downstream to renew the beds washed out by water action. A critical look at the present bed in the stretch fram the dam to the First Narrows reveals a major change. Most of the pools have disappeared, the bed is one fong desolate stretch of boulders devoid of sand and gravel with nothing coming down to main- tain it, the clevation is steadily being reduced. Looking farther afield it may be safe to make a few comparisons. In the southwestern United States the Colorado River has been dammed to such an extent that nei- ther sediment nor water reach the Gulf of California. The delta is a wasteland of salt marshes. If our own Fraser River were to be dammed above Lillooet, the loss of salmon runs would be only one of the results. No longer steadily supplied ak Bees. Seaeeae aes APSO NET ID SEO Posi OI A 6 nm and sediment with sediment, the delta, now extending itself into the Gulf of Georgia, would over many years recede eastward taking with it the airport, Roberts Bank and most of Richmond. Any watercourse, from Mosquito Creek to the Amazon River, is involved in the constant transport of the products of erosion from the mountain to the se3. In the case of the Capilano most of this material is the product of natural forces. In 30 years there have been 319 slides in our watersheds, 19 of which have occurred in areas affected by man. Regarding forest management and the results of not logging an area on the potential tor the spread of forest fires the following figures are interesting. JTable 5121, Greater Vancouver Regional District review appraisal of Forest Fire Fuel Hazard, unman- aged forest —- rate of spread 52% crowning protect- ed 78%; 1989 GVRD forest rate of spread 38% crowning protected 69%, with the. added note “Destruction by fire has decreased significantly since the GVRD assumed control of the watersheds in the 1920s.” The creation and transportation of eroded mate- rial is a natural function of the Capilano and any other river. As things stand neither the road building nor the forest maintenance policies of the GVRD can be shown to have any measurable effect on the water reaching the intake. James R. Thomson West Vancouver Ankle express an option Dear Editor: Concerning the eloquent points raised by ~ passage for emergency vehicles and buses, but jow about using your own two feet for a - Mr. Sohn 1 Lakes inas mel mounted his campaign of ° osition. tocouncil’s pay increase. If I understand Mr. - money, we should be talkin: David Wilson in the Jan. 5 News (“Brain of. City Frozen in Snow”): Mr Wilson has indeed painted a vei y graphic picture of what happens to his city when it snows; the points he raises "are ail valid and wel! thought out —- except for one thing: I wander if David Wilson has ever “’ stopped to chink that maybe he shouldn’t worry just about his own comfort and conve- nience during such a snowstorm. Yes, the roads must be cleared to make safe change; and taking public transport instead of adding to the ic and pollution ills of the city? f ail else fails, good old-fashionéd walking, is also an option. Sure we all have the right to use our cars if we want, but we should ali think twice before exercising that right. - in terms of Mr. Wilson’s fine model we should think of the bigest P picture. Steve Britten West Vancouver Bell’s water record | revisited Dear Editor: It’s absolutely true — politicians have notori: ously short memories, Don Bell's appointment: as chairman of the . Greater Vancouver | * - Regional District water committee proves i Obviously, no one: remembers, or cares about, Bell’s part in the poor water manageme: in North Vancouver District when las mayor. Bell, along. with the district’s pathetic. engineering epartm and others, lost. : ‘handling of the: Prei Surect landfill -along Creek. Does anyon remember the age mound of fps dubbed “Mt: B this past summer; Vi was still levying fines; against the North’ Vancouver District engi ; expects to get ui t speed reading binders eo ior the job of a council- of informatio! . pean She point where it is nearly impossible for a person with @ full-time, employment to undertake. Unless | we redefine the jobSwe will lose the broad representation of “SKIDS: and | points of. view ona council that can best serve our * comfhuntity.” “In the’ meantime; any person who offers: up their energy and: tinie to ‘serve our community as a councillor deservzs our sincere thanks and respect. Ir is an enormously demand- -ing job, requiring the sacrifice of too much personal and family ‘time; $30,000 is not ‘too much compensation. Woodstoves and their pollution have got to go Dear Editor: A. Stones (Yes to wood- stoves Dec. 20 News) shows the same emotional attachment to his woodstove as one often finds lavished on gas guzzling old clunkers. Both are polluting, smelly old relics from yesteryear with the same devastating effect on human health and te environ- SHOULDN'T YOU HAVE THESE RETURNS IN YOUR RRSP? lot easier. L. Gibson North Vancouver ment. All attempts to make woodstoves less polluting, including the installation of cat- alytic converters, have failed. The provincial government should offer residents like Mr. Stones financial incentives to wean them off the old primitive stove mentality, and encourage them to convert to gas or elec- tric heating. We'd all breathe a Trudeau _ North Vancouver ~: “St. John’s School Honeye comh . Blinds An independent, co-educational day.school, : (Applause produc Hine)": ” Kindergarten to Grade 12, St. John’s offers Students a safe, supportive place to learn. Low student-teacher ratios, structured, disciplined classes and challenging curriculum _ foster inquiry and allow for enrichment. A dedicated, qualified faculty provides individual attention and support. 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