As you approach this cache, take careful notice of the storm drains on the street. All have text that says ‘leads to fish habitat’. Some have yellow fish painted beside them; a reminder of the fact that any water entering at these points will enter Byrne Creek without being treated. A sculpture/fountain has been recently placed in this location to highlight Burnaby’s work in restoring creeks.
Toxins from vehicles, pesticides, and cleaning products can enter the storm drains and directly enter the creek, harming fish, vegetation, and other wildlife. Think of this the next time you wash your car or treat your lawn!
In 1998, a toxic spill caused over 5000 fish to die in Byrne Creek. Residents of the area will remember the ‘Stream of Dreams’ mural on the fence at the corner of Edmonds and Kingsway (the corner of the cache). This mural was made to draw awareness to the ‘Creek under the Street’. The mural has now been dismantled due to construction, but painted dreamfish can still be found all over Burnaby.
The Byrne Creek Watershed includes the Burnaby South Slope area from Sussex to 10th Ave. and from Kingsway to the Fraser River. Byrne Creek originates in storm drains near Kingsway and Edmonds. It emerges just east of the Edmonds Skytrain Station and flows south through a steep, densely vegetated ravine to Marine Drive and Byrne Road. At Marine Drive, the creek enters an artificial spawning and rearing habitat. It then flows through a lowland dyked channel to the Fraser River. This information was taken from http://www.byrnecreek.org/