Province of Ministry of Parliament Buildings
British Columbia Lands and Parks Victoria

SUAVEYS ANO RESOURCE British Columbia
MAPPING BRANCH VBV 1X4

88/11/17

Re: Maintenance of Integrated Survey Controk Monuments

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The establishment of the Integrated Survey System in 1964
under authority of the Official Surveys Act was enacted to improve and
protect surveys through integration. A fundamental control system
comprising a network of survey monuments constructed and coordinated
through a cooperative program between the corporate area and the Surveys
and Resource Mapping Branch forms the basis for fntegration of surveys.
The obligation of the local corporation under the terms of the arrange~
ment fe to be responsible for the tnatallation and maintenance of a
suitable dengity of control monuments within the corporate area.

Without a consclentfous maintenance or protection program,
survey networks deteriorate through monument destruction and soon become
limited in their usefulness. By way of bringing the importance of monu~
ment maintenance to your attention, the experfence and conclusitona of
the Municipality of the District of Surrey are related.

In the year 1969, f4eld observations were completed on approx-
imately one thousand monuments which were in place throughout the
Municipality. In 1976, the Municipal Surveyor estimated that the
Municipality was faced with a budget to support a field survey crew for
one year to replace and coordinate the monuments that had been destroyed
to date. ;

The high race of monument destruction is attributed to a
combination of neglect and lack of awareness of the monument locations.
Recause it is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada to
wilfully remove or destroy a legal marker, the Municipality of Surrey
(Integrated Survey Area No. 1) has now supplied all consultants involved
dn land development with a plan showing the monument locations, and
requires that control monuments be shown on all engineering drawings;
and secondly, that monuments in danger of disturbance be referenced by
and, if disturbed, be replaced by a British Columbia Land Surveyor with
the costs being borne by the developer.

It is the recommendation of this Branch that all municipali-
ties with an Integrated Survey System protect their investment by

adapting aimilar measures.

Gary T. Sawayama
Director
Surveys and Resource Mapping Branch