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Abbotsford city council has approved a plan to upgrade Fishtrap Creek, one of the city’s key watersheds, with an estimated $63.3-million price tag over the next 25 years.
An assessment by city staff found the watershed on the city’s west side is in “poor to fair” health due to a lack of vegetation and past development unfit with present standards, which includes some aging drainage systems. Some fish species and other wildlife are said to be at risk.
In a report to council on Tuesday, senior wastewater engineer Bartek Puchajda said Fishtrap Creek comprises an area of around 3,000 hectares, flowing from streams on the urbanized areas of West Abbotsford, down through agricultural areas in the south and into the U.S.
A map from shows the area of the Fishtrap Creek Watershed, in red, along with adjacent watersheds in Abbotsford, B.C. (City of Abbotsford)
Fishtrap Creek Park within town is a popular place to walk and bike.
“The upgrade plan is needed badly,” said David Wilch, who often walks through the park. “And the water? Well, you seen it lately? It’s disgusting. You can barely see the water.”
“Some people throw in garbage, but it’s never cleaned up. It stays in there for years,” said Tetyana Wilch.
“Definitely the fish have gone down,” said Ryan Bucknell. “I’ve heard from a couple friends that fish aren’t really around.”
Fishtrap Creek trail is a popular walking destination on the west side of Abbotsford, B.C. (Kier Junos/CBC)
Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens says a lot of the most expensive work is invisible to the public — since it involves culverts and other things underground.
“It’s a beautiful area. It’s a beautiful park. But that’s just a small portion of how large that watershed actually is,” he said.
The bulk of the work will cost around $41 million and will be done in the next five years.
That involves clearing sediment and flood management — as beaver dams, sediments and culvert blockages have led to localized flooding along the creek. Some of this work is already underway.
Without action, Puchajda told council the “situation will probably continue to get worse.”
“We’ll get more flooding in the lowlands, more flooding in our parks, more erosion,” he said.
A couple walks along the Fishtrap Creek trail in Abbotsford, B.C., on May 12, 2026. (Kier Junos/CBC)
The project will be paid for by a combination of capital funds, development cost charges and grants according to Siemens.
“If you don’t take care of the sediment, it just builds up. And then you’ll have roads that will be flooded. You could have, you know, in certain neighbourhoods, maybe basements,” said Siemens.
“The water quality, it just continues to deteriorate. Invasive species continue to take over and then the cost down the road is even that much more.”
The financing and timeline of these capital projects will be tied into Abbotsford’s drainage master plan, which is still in progress.
“We probably won’t start any of these projects until the drainage master plan is completed; we still have a couple of years before the master plan is finalized,” said Puchajda.