The lake used to support sturgeon, trout, salmon, grizzly bears and geese, and its wetland habitat was a destination for migrating birds and a breeding ground for both fish and waterfowl. Flocks of white-fronted goose as well as whistling swan and Hutchins geese also used the lake. Its partially sandy banks also provided for sturgeon spawning grounds. The lake supplied food to the Sumas Band, and their life ways were intimately connected to it.[3][4][5][6] In the late 1800s, the lake drew the attention of various naturalists within the growing European population engaged in the work of cataloging the flora and fauna that they encountered where they settled.[7][8]
Early farmyards in the vicinity of Sumas Lake were laid out as "dry-point" farms on narrow ridges formed by old lake shorelines to escape periodic flooding of adjacent lowlands.[9] Similarly, the BC Electric Railway route skirted the south shore of the lake.[10] After the devastating 1894 Fraser basin flood, and in order to create more fertile farmland for settlers, BC Electric engineer Fred Sinclair formed a plan to drain the lake in the early 1920s. By 1924 the Chilliwack River had been diverted west into the newly formed Vedder Canal. The lake was then drained through the Sumas Drainage Canal and into the Fraser River around the northeastern tip of the Sumas Mountain. The multi-year project, entailing massive cost overruns on the building of drainage works,[11][12] effectively turned Sumas Lake into the Sumas Prairie.[13][14][15] Farm lands recovered from the lake were not as good as claimed, and sold for less than anticipated. Dairy farming, and another already established crop, hops, continued to be important to profitability, while other crops such as grains did not take hold as anticipated.[11][12] Having been sold off to settlers in the 1930s for $60–120 an acre, the former lakebed has since been transformed into highly successful agricultural, residential and commercial zones. As of 2013 the area of the former lake was the subject of a specific land claim by Sumas First Nation.[3]
Flooding
In addition to flooding recorded in the region prior to the draining of the lake, significant flood events in the area of the former Sumas Lake have occurred on numerous occasions,[16][6] notably in 1894, 1948, 1972 and 2007 due to major spring freshets of the Fraser River, along with November 1990[17][18][19][20] and November 2021 due to extreme rainfall.
In 2019, the city of Abbotsford received federal funding to study flooding of the former Sumas Lake area related to overflow from the Nooksack River.[21] The report found that although a one in 35-year flood such as that of 1990 could be contained, a larger one that breached dikes had the potential to refill Sumas Lake and leave parts of Sumas Prairie under more than three metres of water, submerging homes, destroying property, killing livestock, and thereby compromising food security for those who depend upon the region for agriculture.[22]
In November 2021, during the November 2021 Pacific Northwest floods, this did occur. The overflow from the Nooksack River and the Fraser River filled Sumas Lake, flooding segments of British Columbia Highway 1 and forcing the evacuation of 1100 homes, along with farms and farm workers in Abbotsford.[23][24][25]
^ abSmith and Verstraten, Emma and Katelyn (2013-05-06). "Sumas First Nation seeks compensation for its lost lake". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
^"Chief's Message : Sumas First Nation". www.sumasfirstnation.com. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
^ abWoods, Jody R. "Sumas Lake Transformations." In A Stó:lō-Coast Salish historical atlas, Keith Carlson, Albert Jules McHalsie, Stó:lō Heritage Trust, Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2001, ISBN0-295-98044-3, OCLC 44940929, retrieved 2021-11-19{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Cameron, Laura Jean (1994). Openings to a lake: historical approaches to Sumas Lake, British Columbia (Thesis). University of British Columbia. doi:10.14288/1.0087484.
^Cameron, Laura (1997). Openings : a meditation on history, method, and Sumas Lake. UBC Academic Women's Association. [Vancouver, B.C.]: University of British Columbia, Academic Women's Association. ISBN978-0-7735-6685-9. OCLC 180704109.
^Siemens, Alfred Henry (1960). Mennonite settlement in the lower Fraser Valley (Thesis). University of British Columbia. doi:10.14288/1.0106828.
^"BC Electric Railway Map | rbrtwhite". maps.nicholsonroad.com. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
^ abMurton, James (2008-01-01). "Creating Order: The Liberals, the Landowners, and the Draining of Sumas Lake, British Columbia". Environmental History. 13 (1): 92–125. doi:10.1093/envhis/13.1.92. ISSN 1084-5453.
^ abMurton, James (2011). Creating a Modern Countryside: Liberalism and Land Resettlement in British Columbia. UBC Press. pp. 109–135. ISBN978-0-7748-4071-2.
^Olsen, Tyler (2016-11-19). "Keeping the lake at bay in Abbotsford: How an engineering marvel defeats gravity to keep Sumas Prairie dry". The Abbotsford News. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
^Olsen, Tyler (2018-12-12). "Fraser Valley's lost lake was at centre of local life for centuries: new book". Abbotsford News. Retrieved 2021-11-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Reimer, Chad (2018). Before we lost the lake : a natural and human history of Sumas Valley. Halfmoon Bay, BC. ISBN978-1-987915-58-7. OCLC 1055268924.
^Septer, D. (PDF). British Columbia. Ministry of Environment. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-11-16.
^"The Fraser River doesn't pose the only flood threat to Abbotsford". The Abbotsford News. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2021. A Nooksack flood in 1990 swamped the Whatcom Road interchange and western portions of Sumas Prairie. Such a flood is expected to take place every 35 years or so. There are worries that a larger flood event would change the course of the river entirely, diverting it north into the channel of the much-smaller Sumas River.
^"Group tasked with preventing major Fraser Valley flood hasn't met in seven years". Today In BC. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2021. In 1990, the Nooksack River in northern Washington overflowed its banks, with its waters flooding over the border and into Sumas Prairie. The flood cut off Highway 1, and also inundated the towns of Everson and Sumas.
^"Province was warned breached B.C. dike 'substandard' years before it failed". CBC. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021. As recently as 1990, the Nooksack River overflowed, flooding parts of Washington state and north into Abbotsford's Sumas River basin.
^"Nooksack River flood risk study gets go-ahead after years of task force inaction". Today In BC. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2021. When the Nooksack topped its banks in 1990, its waters inundated parts of Sumas Prairie and closed Highway 1 to traffic for 26 hours.
^Nooksack River Overflow Flood Mitigation Plan: Final Report - Revised(PDF). City of Abbotsford. 2020.
^"Immediate evacuation order for Sumas Prairie due to landslide in Abbotsford". Abbotsford News. 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
^"What is Sumas Lake? 100 years ago, Abbotsford had a 134 sq km lake (PHOTOS) | Urbanized". dailyhive.com. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
^"Migrant workers evacuated from Abbotsford flooding face uncertain future". vancouversun. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
External links
After The Storm - a 2-part series on Discovery Canada on the floods affecting British Columbia in 2021: After The Storm Part 1 called A River in The Sky features the challenges of flooding in and around Sumas Lake
Yarrow Pioneers: Vedder River Flats and Majuba Hill Pioneer settlers
January 10, 2023
sumas, lake, halq, eméyle, semá, lake, nooksack, semáts, xácho7, level, place, lake, shallow, freshwater, lake, surrounded, extensive, wetlands, that, once, existed, eastern, fraser, lowland, located, south, side, sumas, river, between, foothills, sumas, mount. Sumas Lake Halq emeyle Sema th Lake Nooksack Semats Xacho7 Level Place Lake 1 was a shallow freshwater lake surrounded by extensive wetlands that once existed in eastern Fraser Lowland located on the south side of the Sumas River between the foothills of Sumas Mountain not to be confused with the same named American mountain and Vedder Mountain It disappeared after being artificially drained for flood control and land reclamation from 1920 to 1924 leaving behind a low lying flatland known as the Sumas Prairie which is nowadays drained by the Saar Creek a lower tributary of the Sumas River and the namesaked Sumas Drainage Canal Sumas LakePanorama of Sumas Lake taken by Leonard FrankSumas LakeLocationAbbotsford British Columbia ChilliwackCoordinates49 04 N 122 05 W 49 07 N 122 09 W 49 07 122 09 Coordinates 49 04 N 122 05 W 49 07 N 122 09 W 49 07 122 09Basin countriesCanadaSurface area3 600 ha 8 900 acres SettlementsSumas PrairieDisappearance of Sumas Lake The traditional territory of the Sema th people Sumas First Nation a band of the Sto lo Nation 2 the lake laid midway between the present day Canadian cities of Chilliwack and Abbotsford British Columbia and extended past the Canada United States border into the territory east of Sumas Whatcom County Washington necessitating a British Columbia Electric Railway trestle which remains today as a dyke across it from Huntingdon to the foot of Vedder Mountain The lake used to support sturgeon trout salmon grizzly bears and geese and its wetland habitat was a destination for migrating birds and a breeding ground for both fish and waterfowl Flocks of white fronted goose as well as whistling swan and Hutchins geese also used the lake Its partially sandy banks also provided for sturgeon spawning grounds The lake supplied food to the Sumas Band and their life ways were intimately connected to it 3 4 5 6 In the late 1800s the lake drew the attention of various naturalists within the growing European population engaged in the work of cataloging the flora and fauna that they encountered where they settled 7 8 Contents 1 Draining the Lake 2 Flooding 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksDraining the Lake EditEarly farmyards in the vicinity of Sumas Lake were laid out as dry point farms on narrow ridges formed by old lake shorelines to escape periodic flooding of adjacent lowlands 9 Similarly the BC Electric Railway route skirted the south shore of the lake 10 After the devastating 1894 Fraser basin flood and in order to create more fertile farmland for settlers BC Electric engineer Fred Sinclair formed a plan to drain the lake in the early 1920s By 1924 the Chilliwack River had been diverted west into the newly formed Vedder Canal The lake was then drained through the Sumas Drainage Canal and into the Fraser River around the northeastern tip of the Sumas Mountain The multi year project entailing massive cost overruns on the building of drainage works 11 12 effectively turned Sumas Lake into the Sumas Prairie 13 14 15 Farm lands recovered from the lake were not as good as claimed and sold for less than anticipated Dairy farming and another already established crop hops continued to be important to profitability while other crops such as grains did not take hold as anticipated 11 12 Having been sold off to settlers in the 1930s for 60 120 an acre the former lakebed has since been transformed into highly successful agricultural residential and commercial zones As of 2013 the area of the former lake was the subject of a specific land claim by Sumas First Nation 3 Flooding EditIn addition to flooding recorded in the region prior to the draining of the lake significant flood events in the area of the former Sumas Lake have occurred on numerous occasions 16 6 notably in 1894 1948 1972 and 2007 due to major spring freshets of the Fraser River along with November 1990 17 18 19 20 and November 2021 due to extreme rainfall In 2019 the city of Abbotsford received federal funding to study flooding of the former Sumas Lake area related to overflow from the Nooksack River 21 The report found that although a one in 35 year flood such as that of 1990 could be contained a larger one that breached dikes had the potential to refill Sumas Lake and leave parts of Sumas Prairie under more than three metres of water submerging homes destroying property killing livestock and thereby compromising food security for those who depend upon the region for agriculture 22 In November 2021 during the November 2021 Pacific Northwest floods this did occur The overflow from the Nooksack River and the Fraser River filled Sumas Lake flooding segments of British Columbia Highway 1 and forcing the evacuation of 1100 homes along with farms and farm workers in Abbotsford 23 24 25 See also EditSumas disambiguation Sumas RiverReferences Edit Cultural Resources Department NookSack Indian Tribe Retrieved 2013 09 16 Sumas First Nation seeks compensation for its lost lake Archived from the original on 2016 05 13 a b Smith and Verstraten Emma and Katelyn 2013 05 06 Sumas First Nation seeks compensation for its lost lake Vancouver Sun Retrieved 2021 07 25 Chief s Message Sumas First Nation www sumasfirstnation com Retrieved 2021 11 17 Thetax Chris Silver Xemontelot Carrielynn Victor Foulds Kris Schneider Laura 2020 Sema th Xo tsa Sts olemeqwelh Sxo tsa Great Gramma s Lake PDF Abbotsford Reach Gallery Museum ISBN 9781988311319 a b Woods Jody R Sumas Lake Transformations In A Sto lō Coast Salish historical atlas Keith Carlson Albert Jules McHalsie Sto lō Heritage Trust Vancouver Douglas amp McIntyre 2001 ISBN 0 295 98044 3 OCLC 44940929 retrieved 2021 11 19 a href Template Citation html title Template Citation citation a CS1 maint others link Cameron Laura Jean 1994 Openings to a lake historical approaches to Sumas Lake British Columbia Thesis University of British Columbia doi 10 14288 1 0087484 Cameron Laura 1997 Openings a meditation on history method and Sumas Lake UBC Academic Women s Association Vancouver B C University of British Columbia Academic Women s Association ISBN 978 0 7735 6685 9 OCLC 180704109 Siemens Alfred Henry 1960 Mennonite settlement in the lower Fraser Valley Thesis University of British Columbia doi 10 14288 1 0106828 BC Electric Railway Map rbrtwhite maps nicholsonroad com Retrieved 2021 11 17 a b Murton James 2008 01 01 Creating Order The Liberals the Landowners and the Draining of Sumas Lake British Columbia Environmental History 13 1 92 125 doi 10 1093 envhis 13 1 92 ISSN 1084 5453 a b Murton James 2011 Creating a Modern Countryside Liberalism and Land Resettlement in British Columbia UBC Press pp 109 135 ISBN 978 0 7748 4071 2 Olsen Tyler 2016 11 19 Keeping the lake at bay in Abbotsford How an engineering marvel defeats gravity to keep Sumas Prairie dry The Abbotsford News Retrieved 2021 11 16 Olsen Tyler 2018 12 12 Fraser Valley s lost lake was at centre of local life for centuries new book Abbotsford News Retrieved 2021 11 17 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Reimer Chad 2018 Before we lost the lake a natural and human history of Sumas Valley Halfmoon Bay BC ISBN 978 1 987915 58 7 OCLC 1055268924 Septer D Flooding and Landslide Events Southern British Columbia 1808 2006 PDF British Columbia Ministry of Environment Archived from the original PDF on 2021 11 16 The Fraser River doesn t pose the only flood threat to Abbotsford The Abbotsford News 17 May 2018 Retrieved 29 November 2021 A Nooksack flood in 1990 swamped the Whatcom Road interchange and western portions of Sumas Prairie Such a flood is expected to take place every 35 years or so There are worries that a larger flood event would change the course of the river entirely diverting it north into the channel of the much smaller Sumas River Group tasked with preventing major Fraser Valley flood hasn t met in seven years Today In BC 3 September 2018 Retrieved 29 November 2021 In 1990 the Nooksack River in northern Washington overflowed its banks with its waters flooding over the border and into Sumas Prairie The flood cut off Highway 1 and also inundated the towns of Everson and Sumas Province was warned breached B C dike substandard years before it failed CBC 26 November 2021 Retrieved 29 November 2021 As recently as 1990 the Nooksack River overflowed flooding parts of Washington state and north into Abbotsford s Sumas River basin Nooksack River flood risk study gets go ahead after years of task force inaction Today In BC 2 October 2019 Retrieved 29 November 2021 When the Nooksack topped its banks in 1990 its waters inundated parts of Sumas Prairie and closed Highway 1 to traffic for 26 hours Olsen Tyler Kennedy Grace 2021 11 17 Abbotsford s flood crisis could revive Sumas Lake Fraser Valley Current Retrieved 2021 11 17 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Nooksack River Overflow Flood Mitigation Plan Final Report Revised PDF City of Abbotsford 2020 Immediate evacuation order for Sumas Prairie due to landslide in Abbotsford Abbotsford News 2021 11 16 Retrieved 2021 11 16 What is Sumas Lake 100 years ago Abbotsford had a 134 sq km lake PHOTOS Urbanized dailyhive com Retrieved 2021 11 18 Migrant workers evacuated from Abbotsford flooding face uncertain future vancouversun Retrieved 2021 11 18 External links EditAfter The Storm a 2 part series on Discovery Canada on the floods affecting British Columbia in 2021 After The Storm Part 1 called A River in The Sky features the challenges of flooding in and around Sumas Lake Yarrow Pioneers Vedder River Flats and Majuba Hill Pioneer settlers Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sumas Lake amp oldid 1131575059, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
