Cleaning Up the Past: Woodfibre LNG’s Role in Howe Sound’s Recovery

Tucked between coastal mountains and ocean currents, Átl’ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound) is one of British Columbia’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders. For Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), these waters are a place of deep cultural and spiritual importance. And for over a century, they were also the setting for some of the province’s most damaging industrial activity.

The discovery of copper in 1888 led to large scale mining in Britannia Beach, growing to be the largest copper mine in the British Commonwealth. Squamish’s legacy as a logging centre also gave rise to the Woodfibre Pulp Mill in the early 1900s, operating for nearly a century.

Decades of unregulated pollution from these and other surrounding industry gradually transformed the northern reaches of Howe Sound into a “dead zone.” The sea floor was suffocated. Without adequate seafloor vegetation, salmon and herring all but vanished. Marine mammals, seals and whales, followed their prey out of the Sound.  A once rich ecosystem collapsed.

Today, that story is being rewritten. And Woodfibre LNG is playing an important part in a new chapter—one rooted in healing, respect, and restoration.

Tearing down to build up: the remediation of the Woodfibre site

When Woodfibre LNG acquired the former pulp mill in 2013, it took on the responsibility to remediate. Before construction could begin, the site required extensive work to ensure the Woodfibre LNG facility was built on a stable and clean foundation.

One of the first and most visible steps was the removal of over 4,000 creosote-treated wooden pilings from the foreshore. Creosote, a toxic tar-like substance used to preserve wood, is harmful to marine life, notably affecting any herring spawn laid nearby. But the cleanup didn’t stop at the shoreline.

A staggering 170,000 tonnes of contaminated soil, soaked with residues from a century of industrial use, had to be removed from site. Specialized teams excavated and responsibly disposed of this material, carefully managing erosion and runoff.

Uphill from the site was the old municipal landfill, holding decades of waste and toxic substances, with leachate (contaminants washed from the landfill) flowing into the Sound.  In 2022, Woodfibre LNG capped the landfill with an impermeable synthetic membrane and laid soil and seed overtop, creating a meadow of native grasses and plants. This eliminated the majority of leachate production from the landfill, with any remaining easily treated by an on-site facility.

These milestones aren’t just regulatory checkboxes. They are the bedrock for a healthier Howe Sound—and an example of what environmental accountability can look like.

Going beyond preservation: WLNG’s commitment to renew Howe Sound

Cleaning up is only one part of the journey. Woodfibre LNG has pledged to restore and create more habitat than the project impacts, aiming for a net positive ecosystem effect.

Woodfibre LNG is restoring marine habitat on a 10:1 basis versus what is disturbed due to construction.  Over 22,000 square metres of new marine habitat will be developed through and immediately following construction—an area larger than three soccer fields.

The foundation of much of the marine restoration are cobble blankets – layers of clean sand covered with rounded stones. This combination supports both plant and animal life, giving kelp and algae a place to anchor and grow while the sand allows shellfish and invertebrates to burrow and thrive underneath. These “blankets” are especially important for Pacific herring, a cornerstone species in the local food chain as it offers a stable place for the fish to spawn.

To create conditions to broaden biodiversity, shallow and deep rock reefs are being constructed using rough, angular quarry rock. Shallow reefs built closer to the surface are ideal for kelp forests, which in turn attract young salmon, rockfish, and lingcod—species that need shelter and food during critical life stages. In deeper waters, the reefs provide crevices and cover for crabs, sea urchins, shrimp, and other bottom-dwelling species. Finally, in areas where old wood waste from the pulp mill lies buried and can’t easily be removed, the team is placing sand blankets topped with rock mounds. This seals off toxic by-products while giving marine invertebrates a healthier surface to return to. These rock mounds are spaced out to mimic natural reefs and add structural diversity that helps marine ecosystems bounce back.

This is restoration with intention and will help Howe Sound become a thriving marine ecosystem once again. Herring and salmon have returned in numbers not seen for decades, drawing seals, sea lions, and even cetaceans, including dolphins, porpoises, and even whales.

A Living Legacy

Howe Sound still bears the traces of its past, but it no longer lives in its shadow. Where there was once pollution, there is now promise.

Woodfibre LNG’s remediation and restoration efforts show that industrial projects on brownfield sites can be environmental net benefits. Building in Átl’ḵa7tsem at Swiyat carries both opportunity and responsibility, and stewardship of the land and water remains a guiding principle—through construction and into operation.