Diana Lake Provincial Park is scheduled to receive some much-needed upgrades over the next couple of years.

The news was first brought up by Port Edward district councillor James Brown, who, in a Facebook post, said he had heard about proposed improvements at a May 28 meeting. 

David Karn, a spokesperson for BC Parks confirmed the provincial government has engaged Tetra Tech, a Terrace engineering consulting firm, to provide options.

Diana Lake is a flooded reservoir and the perched beach area frequently suffers from log debris making it unusable.

BC Parks and the undisclosed engineering firm are looking at installing groynes or booms to keep the area relatively free of debris. The are also examining options to support access to the beach in front of the dam to support log removal by the owner of the dam.

They also want to renovate or replace the day-use area keeping in mind accessibility options. This is part of a larger effort by BC Parks to improve accessibility across the park network.

In 2023, the province earmarked $3.6 million to "continue upgrading facilities, such as washrooms, parking lots and trails, to an accessible standard in parks near urban centres," a press release stated.

The initial funding for design, planning, engineering, and start of the upgrades is budgeted for $240,000 with total project costs to be determined once the project scope is finalized, Karn said.

The government said the project is currently in the design and approval phase and expects the upgrades to be completed in the 2025/2026 time frame.