In 2025, KBL completed a complex remediation and water management project at the former Sterling Shipyards property within the Port of Vancouver on Burrard Inlet. The site, historically used as a shipyard and sawmill, contained extensive intertidal and subtidal contamination, including creosote timber, contaminated sediment, and historic debris. KBL was retained to remediate and upgrade the property for future use while protecting the surrounding marine environment.
The project required integrated remediation, dredging, dewatering, water treatment, and shoreline reconstruction. Across the three-acre work area, KBL managed intertidal excavation while coordinating subtidal dredging with its marine subcontractor. Approximately 11,000 m³ of contaminated sediment was excavated, dewatered, stabilized, transported, and disposed of from the intertidal zone. An additional 6,500 m³ of subtidal sediment was dredged during high-tide windows and transferred to sealed scows, with generated water pumped to an onsite treatment system before discharge to Burrard Inlet under CCME Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life.
The work also created long-term site and ecological value. KBL constructed a 100-metre revetment structure, imported and dynamically compacted 70,000 tonnes of structural fill, and increased usable Port land by approximately 4,500 m². Habitat restoration was incorporated through intermediate reef structures, offshore reefs, native kelp seeding, and more than 400 m² of upland riparian planting.
The project demonstrates KBL’s ESG approach in action: safely managing contaminated materials, treating water before environmental discharge, adapting to challenging marine conditions, and creating lasting habitat and land-use benefits in a sensitive coastal setting.