Newsome Creek Update
Newsome Creek construction site. (Photo credit: Celia Dyer)
By Celia Dyer
Tree clearing on the north bank. (Photo credit: Celia Dyer)
An erosion mitigation project along Newsome Creek in Sorrento is progressing according to plan.
Dawson Civil, a construction company from Kamloops, was awarded the Newsome Creek Infrastructure Improvements Project by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit in February.
As stated on Dawson Civil’s website, the primary focus of the project will be the installation of an eight-foot-diameter culvert under the Trans-Canada Highway. The upgraded culvert will increase water-flow capacity and help address ongoing drainage and erosion challenges in the area. The culvert will be at a lesser slope than the current pipe, which will help to manage flow and decrease the potential for erosion.
Environmental restoration is also an important component of the project. This will include fish habitat enhancement and creek channel improvements as well as slope stabilization and bank reinforcement designed to mitigate any further erosion and support the long-term health of Newsome Creek.
Tree clearing on both sides of the creek is complete, although work was slowed because of a longer-than-expected bird-nesting season. There is an environmental specialist on-site every day who ensures that practices maintain the ecological integrity of the site. Replanting of the stream banks will take place in the spring of 2027.
The culvert ready for delivery to the site. (Photo credit: Sydney Whitman)
Temporary water diversion in the creek will be necessary to complete any in-stream work safely. Crews expect to begin this element of the project in the first week of September. This will safely redirect water around the work area and keep the site clean and protect fish habitat downstream.
Locals can expect to see more activity around the construction site over the next months. Temporary access roads will have to be built, the culvert will be installed and bank stabilization and reinforcement will begin. Mark Hemmingson, whose property borders the creek, says that he and other homeowners “are feeling optimistic now that work is underway”.
The Project Coordinator for Dawson explains that “for a small project, this work is remarkably complex.”
