The Vancouver Park Board is set to vote on a staff recommendation to reestablish a connection between Stanley Park’s Lost Lagoon and the ocean.
Environmental conditions at the lagoon have been declining, according to a staff report, with poor water quality affecting the habitat and wildlife.
“The challenges at this site can be addressed by restoring a tidal connection to the ocean while maximizing water quality, habitat, biodiversity, and recreational values and working toward reconciliation,” the report says.
The recommendation is based on a feasibility study that showed the lagoon could be connected to seawater through both Coal Harbour and Second Beach.
Lost Lagoon was connected to Burrard Inlet until 1916, when the causeway was established through the park.
“The berm built for what has become Highway 99 transformed this tidal ecosystem into a captive pond for recreational and aesthetic purposes, including pleasure boating and fish stocking,” the report says.
“A fountain was added in 1936 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the city incorporation, and in 1999, as part of the causeway highway widening, a wetland was constructed by the Province at the north side of the lagoon, to help filter water run-off from the highway.”
Since it was cut off from seawater, sediment has accumulated in the lagoon, decreasing the depth and damaging water quality. One of the results has been a summer algae bloom that has appeared in recent years, the report says.
“The lack of water exchange that would happen naturally in a tidal lagoon is a major contributor to the water quality issues, along with other localized environmental impacts,” the report says.
“Because it is isolated, infilling, and shallow with much of the shoreline non-naturalized, Lost Lagoon is considered an ecologically poor habitat, vulnerable to sea level rise and other climatic events.”
The Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority have expressed support for the project.
The cost of the project is estimated at $30 million. This funding is not currently available, the report says, but there is $200,000 available in the 2026 Healthy Habitats Capital Program to “advance the design to a level of detail suitable for grant applications, refine cost estimates, create a phasing plan, and seek the necessary funding partnerships.”
The Park Board is set to vote on the recommendation Monday.