Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has released one new Standard, four new Codes of Practice, and updates its six existing Codes of Practice for the guidance on municipal projects taking place in or near water. These standards provide a framework on how to carry out routine work near water while reducing impacts on fish and fish habitat.
A Standard provides guidance on how to design implement, maintain, monitor and remove specific mitigation measures that are part of a project.
Codes of practice specify conditions and measures to manage risks to fish and fish habitat. They are designed for routine projects.
New Standard
- In‑water site isolation
- Addresses creating a temporary physical barrier in the water to keep fish out of the area where construction or maintenance work is happening, so the work can be done safely without harming fish or the aquatic habitat
New Codes
- Bridges: Maintenance and repair
- Outlines how to maintain or repair existing bridges in ways that reduce impacts on fish and habitat
- Intermittent drains: Maintenance
- Guidance for clearing or maintaining seasonal drains while avoiding unnecessary disturbance to aquatic ecosystems
- In‑water structures: Maintenance and repair
- Specifies how to maintain water‑based structures (piers, retaining walls) while protecting fish and habitat
- Boathouses, docks and moorings: Construction, maintenance and repair
- Rules for building or fixing shoreline structures without disturbing fish or the waterbody
Updated Codes
- Beaver dams: Breaching and removal
- Guidance on safely lowering or removing beaver dams while minimizing harm to fish and habitat
- Clear span bridges: Construction, maintenance and decommissioning
- Requirements for building or removing bridges that don’t touch the water, ensuring fish habitat remains undisturbed
- Culverts: Maintenance
- Instructions for maintaining culverts so water flow and fish passage remain protected
- Dredging for navigation: Routine maintenance
- Sets limits and methods for regular dredging to keep channels open while reducing impacts on fish and sediment
- Ice bridges and snow fills: Construction, maintenance and decommissioning
- Provides safe practices for creating and removing winter crossings without harming fish habitat
- Temporary fords: Crossing
- Regulations for building and using shorter-term vehicle crossings through water in ways that limit environmental impacts
RMA recommends that municipalities take time to review these changes to ensure projects near water continue to meet federal requirements.
Sahaj Kaur
Policy Advisor
825.319.2400
Sahaj@rmalberta.com
Warren Noga
Manager of Policy and Research
825.319.2285
warren@rmalberta.com