Dozens of homes off-kilter on Fraser River, locals blame lack of dredging

Residents living in houseboats along the Fraser River in Delta and Richmond often have a hard time getting into their homes, due to lack of dredging on the waterway.

When the tide is low, the houses tilt significantly. Floors suddenly have steep slopes, stairways are askew, and entryways rise four feet off the ground.

That makes it impossible for many residents to use their front doors without a stepladder.

“Windows popping, leaning over, fridges opening, stuff sliding off the table,” described Michael Owen, manager of Ladner Reach Marina. “It doesn’t need to be that way.”

Then when the tide is high, the homes settle back, only to be off-kilter again within hours when the tide goes out.

The Fraser River is dredged on a daily basis, but its secondary channels have fallen behind.

As a result, ships and recreational boats are frequently trapped.

“If we run aground there’s always a danger of capsizing, and you just can’t operate a business,” said commercial fisherman Roy Manning sitting outside his vessel the Ocean Achiever.

“I mean you look at a small operation like this, but it’s $1 million business in the community, for groceries, fuel.”

Even the lifesaving Delta Lifeboat can only set out when the tide is right.

“These are many of the reasons that we’ve got to get the money brought forward federally and provincially,” said Delta South MLA Ian Paton.

There have been many talks with various levels of government, including town halls, but so far only cities have committed funding for annual dredging, and that’s not enough to get the job done.

“It’s like telling the City of Merritt to plough the Coquihalla. This is a national waterway,” argued Owen.