User numbers on Whistler's River of Golden Dreams have doubled since 2015

Whistler's River of Golden Dreams (ROGD) will see some upgrades next year, as exploding user numbers continue to put increased pressure on the river.

According to the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), in 2020, user numbers per hour on the ROGD were more than double those seen in 2015.

At its July 19 meeting, Whistler council heard a report on potential enhancements to the river to minimize negative impacts from increased user levels. 

The surge in users has led to environmental issues including damaged streambeds, sediment imbalance, and increasing turbidity, said RMOW Environmental Supervisor Tara Schaufele.

The damage to the riverbed, especially during low water periods, is detrimental to fish eggs, embryos and subsequent populations, as well as damage to fragile riparian vegetation, Schaufele said. 

“Over the past few years, user numbers per hour have doubled in the River of Golden Dreams, with the growth in users and increase in impacts being observed in the canal section in particular, which are amplified during low-water events,” she said. 

“The public who unknowingly end up in the river during low water and spawning season can have a negative experience. In these instances, people are forced to walk in the stream bed or scrape the bed with their boats, which can be detrimental to the fish and is not a good experience for the user and to many users, can lead to visitor dissatisfaction."

The main area of concern is a sensitive and congested stretch of the river known as the canal, located at the end of Lorimer Road near the Catholic church. The canal goes from the fish weir along the rail line to 21 Mile Creek, and is particularly concerning as people drag their boats and walk along the streambed during low water. 

The RMOW enlisted the services of Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL) to explore options to improve the passage, which conducted an assessment of the canal stretch.

Following its assessment, KWL made two recommendations: remove current log weirs, as they are believed to be impeding fish passage, causing sedimentation build up and reducing spawning potential, and; install a weir upstream of the 21 Mile confluence to increase water levels throughout the canal.

This, along with bank stabilization work, will reduce user impacts on the streambed, shorten the distance of the portage route, improve the user experience and enhance stream habitat, including juvenile fish passage.

The current log weirs were installed in the 1990s without a full assessment. As a result, as time has passed, they have become less effective at increasing the quantity of water to usable levels for canoe passage during drier seasons.

The RMOW's environmental stewardship department budgeted $40,000 for ROGD improvements in 2022, most of which will be used for the research, study and design work. Additional budget (expected to be about $150,000) will be requested for the enhancement work next year.

The work is expected to take place in August 2023. 
 
"I see the kind of use of this river is getting, and it makes me really sad," said Councillor Cathy Jewett. 

“I just hope that people can use it with more respect because we're loving that river to death.”