As you may have noticed while cycling at the South Surrey Bike Park, construction has started on the new Rec Center to be located between the tennis courts and the youth center.  The mountain bike trail that borders the construction site will remain open but may be rerouted or changed but will be restored to “Surrey trail specifications" by Surrey Parks.  For everyone’s information, all of the runoff water from the new building and accompanying parking lot will absorbed by the forest at the Bike Park.  The storm sewers at this part of Surrey have no more capacity, and so the water will be absorbed by the soil and the forest.  SORCE has a seat on the Urban Forest Advisory Committee that review and made suggestions for modifications for this water disposal system.  The contractor will build a Bio Swale (a natural ditch that slowly moves water and promotes absorption) all around the new building and parking lot.  That Bio Swale will meander  along the forests edge and then cross the BLT trail into an absorption pond – this is the swath of land that has been cleared near the construction site. The Urban Forest Advisory Committee insisted that an oil separator be included in the plans to remove the oil from the parking lot runoff, to protect the forest.  The original plan was built for a 50 year worst rain storm; but the Urban Forest Advisory Committee insisted on a 100 year worst storm plan – that is now being built.  Surrey Parks (and not the contractor) will be responsible to restore that part of the BLT trail back to Surrey Parks standards.  Enjoy the riding, and respect any construction activity that might be taking place on that part of the trail.