Bummers Flats

Restoring the natural flow at Bummers Flats

Bummers Flats sits along the east side of the Kootenay River, approximately 25 kilometers northeast of Cranbrook, British Columbia.

A 5-year restoration effort is underway to return wetland and riparian areas to a self-sustaining, naturally functioning state beginning this year with North Bummers.

Phase 1 construction began in October 2025 and will return flooding to 167 acres at the North Bummers site. Work is carefully timed outside of sensitive breeding and nesting seasons to minimize disturbance.

North Bummers restoration activities include:

Removing a 100-m dike along the river that prevents water from entering the floodplain during high water flows
Breaching three interior dikes to allow water to flow between wetlands.
Excavating 5 acres of deeper wetlands that will store more water and will create diverse habitat for amphibians, and birds.
Removing the old outlet structure and replacing it with a naturalized outlet at the southern end the property.
Re-establishing native vegetation and erosion control measures after works are completed.

A Floodplain Reborn

Bummers Flats is part of a 5,394-acre conservation area managed in collaboration by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), ʔaq̓am, The Nature Trust of BC (NTBC), and the B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (WLRS).

Originally engineered in the 1970s and 80s, the best available science suggested that stabilizing water levels would help waterfowl flourish in a practice known as single-species management. DUC then built dikes, and the river was kept at bay.

Although the project succeeded in supporting nesting ducks and geese, over time, biodiversity waned, invasive species crept in, and infrastructure built for one purpose began to fail under the weight of changing ecosystems and climate.

Today, guided by decades of ecological and engineering learnings and adaptive management, DUC is restoring the natural hydrology of the site, bringing water, life and balance back to the floodplain.

Why It Matters

By restoring natural river-floodplain processes, the project will:

Improve ecosystem health and resilience.
Enhance habitat for waterfowl, songbirds, amphibians, and ungulates.
Support climate adaptation by improving water storage and mitigating flood risk.
Supports ʔaq̓am, recognizing that the project is adjacent to ʔaq̓am lands and in ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa.

Collaboration for the Future

This project is made possible through the financial support of the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program, Columbia Basin Trust, Elk Valley Resources, Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, The Province of B.C. and the B.C. Watersheds Grant, and NTBC as well as in-kind support from ʔaq̓am, NTBC and WLRS.

Extensive planning and design by experts including Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. has been completed and involved archaeological assessments, hydraulic modelling, monitoring and revegetation plans, with work being completed by Fiorentino Bros Contracting.

View from Bummers Flats looking between pine trees at the mountains in the distance

Learn more about our work

The British Columbia Interior provides essential habitat for wildlife, and water for communities.