It was a terrible sight that greeted visitors to Brydon Lagoon on the B.C. Day long weekend last year.
Thousands of dead fish floated on the surface of the Langley City pond — the victims, it was later established, of a deadly combination of high water temperatures and depleted oxygen levels.
This year, as the mercury rose through late June and continued to hit record breaking levels all over B.C. during the first days of July, the alarm began to sound once more among local environmentalists.
What if it happens again?
Thanks to the efforts of Langley Field Naturalists and the City of Langley, that scenario is somewhat less likely.
Since last year’s disaster, the City has purchased and installed a bubbler system to aerate the water from below, and plans are in place to add even more tubing, expanding its reach across the bottom of the lagoon.
This is a good first step.
But it’s not a stretch to assume that the long periods of hot, dry weather we’ve been experiencing could become the norm in future summers. Add to that, the fact that over the years, sediment has been building up on the bottom of the pond. Some estimate that its overall depth has been reduced by half since it was first measured in the mid 1980s.
Shallower water heats more quickly, and that’s bad news for all its inhabitants.
Since the fish kill — and probably even before that — there have been calls to dredge the lagoon.
It’s a solution that has been met with mixed response, with many suggesting the cost — in the millions — would be prohibitive.
Brydon is described as a “jewel” of the City by many who stroll its banks and come to feed the resident waterfowl. From that perspective, there’s an argument to be made that it’s worth the money to preserve it in its best possible state.
But rather than try to justify an immediate lump sum expenditure, perhaps it makes sense to start setting aside a bit of cash every year, with a plan to dredge once the funds are place.
Of course, the longer it takes, the more work there will be to do and the more that work will cost.
