Deroche, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Deroche is a farming and railway community on the Canadian Pacific Railway
and BC Highway 7
located approximately 110 km east of Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. Deroche is adjacent to the eastern end of Nicomen Island
, from which it is separated by the Nicomen Slough (NB a different location 3 km away was known as Deroche Landing). The community is at the foot of Nicomen Mountain
and is immediately across the river from Chilliwack Mountain
. The population of Deroche is about 148.
The Deroche water system service area was established in 1992 by the Dewdney-Alouette Regional District
, and later became a Fraser Valley Regional District
service area after reorganization of regional district boundaries. The water system serves the community of Deroche, which is in Electoral Area G of the regional district. The system was originally operated as a private water system under a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, and was taken over by DARD in 1993. At that time, Deroche Creek was used as the source, but several debris flow incidents within the watershed severely affected the creek, causing interruptions of supply as well as several water quality challenges for the system. As a result, in 1999-2000 several upgrades to the system were carried out. The system was changed over to a groundwater well source, dramatically improving water quality and supply reliability.
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and BC Highway 7
British Columbia provincial highway 7
Highway 7, known for most of its length as the Lougheed Highway, is an alternative route to Highway 1 through the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia...
located approximately 110 km east of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Deroche is adjacent to the eastern end of Nicomen Island
Nicomen Island
Nicomen Island is an island in the Fraser River east of Mission and between Deroche and Dewdney . Located on the river's north side, and separated from the foot of the Douglas Ranges by Nicomen Slough, the island is near-totally given over to agriculture and constitutes a rural community in its...
, from which it is separated by the Nicomen Slough (NB a different location 3 km away was known as Deroche Landing). The community is at the foot of Nicomen Mountain
Nicomen Mountain
Nicomen Mountain, , is the southernmost major summit of the Douglas Ranges in the Lower Mainland region of southern British Columbia. It is located to the north of Nicomen Island and the communities of Deroche and Lake Errock...
and is immediately across the river from Chilliwack Mountain
Chilliwack Mountain
Chilliwack Mountain is a small mountain rising from the floodplain of the Fraser River in the city of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Located on the south side of the Fraser opposite the north side community of Deroche, it lies just west of the downtown of Chilliwack and to the east of...
. The population of Deroche is about 148.
Name origin
The original name of Deroche was Derocier, but the local CPR station was given the current name to honour Joseph Deroche, who settled there in the early 1880s and had to BC from California in 1860 during the gold rush. Deroche died on March 19, 1922, age 99, and some of his descendants still live in the area.Services
In addition to a store and garage and other small commercial enterprises, Deroche has an elementary school which is part of British Columbia School District No. 75 (Mission).The Deroche water system service area was established in 1992 by the Dewdney-Alouette Regional District
Dewdney-Alouette Regional District
The Dewdney-Alouette Regional District was a regional district in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada, comprising the district municipalities of Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Mission and uncincorporated areas east to the Harrison River and north to the southern end of Lillooet Lake...
, and later became a Fraser Valley Regional District
Fraser Valley Regional District
The Fraser Valley Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. The FVRD covers an area of 13,361.74 km²...
service area after reorganization of regional district boundaries. The water system serves the community of Deroche, which is in Electoral Area G of the regional district. The system was originally operated as a private water system under a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, and was taken over by DARD in 1993. At that time, Deroche Creek was used as the source, but several debris flow incidents within the watershed severely affected the creek, causing interruptions of supply as well as several water quality challenges for the system. As a result, in 1999-2000 several upgrades to the system were carried out. The system was changed over to a groundwater well source, dramatically improving water quality and supply reliability.
See also
- Dewdney, British ColumbiaDewdney, British ColumbiaDewdney is an unincorporated community in the Central Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada, about 15 km east of the town of Mission. It was incorporated as a district municipality in 1893 but has since become unincorporated and is now represented as part of Electoral Area 'G' in the...
- Lake ErrockLake ErrockLake Errock is an unincorporated settlement on the northwest shore of the lake of the same name, which is located in the Upper Fraser Valley region of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It lies alongside BC Highway 7 and the tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway between Deroche and...
- Chehalis, British ColumbiaChehalis, British ColumbiaChehalis, British Columbia is a small forestry, agricultural and First Nations community in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia located on Highway 7 on the west bank of the Harrison River between the town of Mission and the resort community of Harrison Hot Springs.Chehalis is the site of...
- Mission, British ColumbiaMission, British ColumbiaMission, the core of which was formerly known as Mission City, is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the north bank of the Fraser River overlooking the City of Abbotsford and with that city is part of the Central Fraser Valley. Mission is the...