Overnight gate closures have replaced the seasonal closure of Vedder Canal dike gates to restrict vehicle access for the summer months.
Gaining access to the dike from the McGillivray pump station to the Greendale stockpile south of Keith Wilson Road will be possible during daylight hours only, with gates locked again at night.
The City of Chilliwack, working with the Fraser Valley Salmon Society (FVSS), Fraser Valley Illegal Dumping Alliance (FVIDA) and the Chilliwack Parks and Trails Advisory Committee, recently announced the decision not to enact full gate closures to the dike on the canal as usual this year.
New hours went into effect on July 1.
City council decided in 2008 to close off vehicle access to the west dike on the Vedder after numerous incidents of vandalism, illegal garbage dumping and fires in the riparian areas. It was damage to flood protection equipment that was the catalyst for council taking decisive action to restrict vehicle access.
The following gate access points to the west dike will be closed overnight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.:
• Keith Wilson Road on the south and north side
• Yale Road
• off Industrial Way
Signage with hours of access and a phone number if locked in are now in place.
READ MORE: Cyclists and horses banned from Vedder trail sections
READ MORE: Balancing river values with heavy use on the Vedder
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