New Soil Conservation & Protection Bylaw

Delta Granted Enhanced Legal Authority to Regulate Soil Deposit Activities on Agricultural Land

Delta now has a Soil Conservation and Protection Bylaw to enhance Delta's ability to regulate soil deposit and removal activities on agricultural land and allow for better protection of the agricultural land base.

As part of the review and discussion of this issue, the draft bylaw was provided to the Delta Farmer's Institute, Delta's Agricultural Advisory Committee, Delta's Environment Advisory Committee and Delta's Dikes and Drainage Advisory Committee for review and comment. Comments were incorporated into a revised bylaw, which was presented to Council on January 9, 2012. At this January 2012 Regular Meeting, Council gave first, second and third readings to Soil Conservation and Protection Bylaw No. 7014. The bylaw is intended to provide clear direction as to the circumstances under which soil deposit activities may or may not be undertaken on agricultural land.

The Bylaw was then forwarded to the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development for approval prior to its final adoption by Delta Council.

Final consideration and adoption of the Bylaw was granted at the Regular Meeting of Council on May 28, 2012.

Background

In recent years there has been an increasing number of instances where fill material is being used in volumes and in locations that are unnecessary or inappropriate for agricultural land. The cumulative effect of these fill operations is to gradually erode the agricultural land base as prime topsoil is covered with less fertile subsoil.

Soil deposit and removal activities on agricultural land are poorly regulated under Delta's existing bylaw, which provides permit exemptions for soil deposit and removal work that is for "farming purposes". To address this issue, Council requested that a new bylaw be brought forward to provide more effective regulatory control over soil deposit and removal activities on agriculturally-zoned lands and to provide better protection of the agricultural land base for future agricultural productivity.

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