Have a question? Enter it at the bottom of this page in the comments area.
We will answer questions during the live presentation on December 10, 2020.
The preliminary design is based on recommendations from the 2018 Cowichan Water Use Plan (WUP), stakeholder engagement, Provincial and Federal legislation and industry accepted practices. Fish passage and riparian environment objectives are the priority in the design and the basis for the project funding.
This project is managed by the CVRD and is made possible through the generous support of the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF).
More information will be posted in the following days.
Please join us for a live presentation on December 10, 2020.
Presentation: 6 to 7 PM
Q&A: 7 to 8 PM
Online public link:
https://cowichanvalleyrd.webex.com/cowichanvalleyrd/onstage/g.php?MTID=ef3b29b2c638a185fa0773f84c5c7ebaf
Call-in number: 1-844-992-4726
Call-in access code: 146 385 7474
Have a question? Enter it at the bottom of this page in the comments area. We will answer questions during the live presentation on December 10, 2020.
We are currently exploring the option of a walkway over the weir. Further analysis is required to determine the feasibility of this option.
There has been many great suggestions on incorporating aspects to the new weir that would benefit the community. Where would these funds come from to add these aspects to the design?
More importantly, has ownership and control of weir been determined for the future?
To add to this question/comment what signage will be put up to help inform/educate visitors about the weir and the wildlife?
The Cowichan River is one of the most popular whitewater kayaking rivers on Vancouver Island. Myself and many many others paddle various sections of the river all year long. Because of this, I know I’m not alone when I say that the weir project is a real opportunity to develop some whitewater play features at this section of the river. There are many many other locales throughout North America that have done this successfully with notable benefits to the local community. This includes the Deschutes River in Bend Oregon, the Bow River in Calgary Alberta. Benefits include revenue generated from paddlers travelling to and spending time in the community. I will say that paddlers are a respectful group of people, who consider safety as a priority when managing risk. This is an integral part of the sport and how we support each other when on the river.
As an avid paddler living on Vancouver Island, I am very supportive of developing whitewater play features on the Cowichan River as part of the weir project. Thanks for the opportunity to comment!
Hi,
Is there plans to look at incorporating potential for a surf wave or other river features into the design? Having worked at courses in Nottingham, UK and Sydney, Australia. They were places with walkways, multiple user groups, and the community benefitted as a result. Another example would be Harvie passage in Calgary, AB. Look forward to hearing the discussion tonight.
I love the idea of a play wave of the cost is reasonable.
There has ben a lot of support for a playpark for local paddling enthusiasts, spectators and visitors to actually connect with the water. Is there a reason why this is not part of the plan? In these trying times we are all looking for ways to cope with the stress we are all feeling and enjoy the outdoors.
This play park idea is not a new idea and in the US they are quite common and help the local economy immensely.
It would be a terrible missed-opportunity if no recreational features were incorporated into this design. Whitewater paddling is a fast-growing sport in Canada, and Vancouver Island in particular is becoming recognized for its abundance of wet-weather whitewater opportunities. Consequently, the population of skilled paddlers (both seasonal and permanent) on the Island is higher every year. Many of these paddlers would pay to participate in a reliable-flow whitewater recreation spot, particularly in the dry season. From the looks of the preliminary weir design, it appears likely that even a modest whitewater ‘feature’ could be incorporated into or below the fish-passage design. Fees collected to participate in such a recreational feature would almost certainly pay for the feature itself in the short term. In the longer term, maintenance and upkeep could likely be significantly assisted from continued recreational fee collection. Whitewater parks in other areas of Canada and the United States have been phenomenally successful. Is there any reason to believe that a whitwater feature added to this design would be anything less than a boon to the project and the community? If economic considerations are the reason for declining such an addition at this time, have any cost-estimates or feasibilty assessments been gathered that could be shared with the paddling community such that paddlers could investigate soliciting alternative sources of funding? Given that a number of paddlers on Vancouver Island have visited other man-made whitewater recreation facilities, would the decision-makers on this project consent to share any information on feasibility and cost publically so that those experienced with such can provide design feedback (and/or solicit such from the designers of other parks)? Thank you.
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Has there been serious consideration for paddlesport features, such as whitewater play waves in the new design? It would be a shame not to take this opportunity to enhance these recreational opportunities.
This has a great opportunity to be a feature for this town in many different avenues. From the walk way providing access to and from town, to the fishway providing a naturalized path for fish. As a river professional I also see this being a great opportunity to provide a safe river location for people to recreate . A feature that could be used to play and educate would be a great asset to the south island and beyond. Question, this was brought up in the prelims as showing interest from the public .is there a known avenue to explore this option further on both funding and procuring? or has this boat sunk?