New report shows where there is massive flood risk in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

The Fraser Basin Council is a charitable, non-profit society that focuses on taking concrete actions to improve sustainability practices throughout the province. This includes taking action to combating climate change, and building resilient communities.

One of the impacts of climate change is increased risk of flooding due in part to sea level rise. There has been limited investment in flood protection and mitigation infrastructure within Metro Vancouver which further increases the risk of flooding which could cause major damage to the region.

The Fraser Basin Council is currently developing a Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy on behalf of the federal, provincial, and local governments in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. This strategy will be completed in three phases. The first phase looks at where there is flooding risk, and the current state of flood protection infrastructure. This has been recently completed.

The second phase will be the actual development of the flood management strategy which is expected to be completed by 2018. Phase three will be all about developing an implementation strategy.

As part of phase one of the strategy, the Fraser Basin Council has published a series of maps which outline flooding scenarios. What becomes apparent is that building in the Agricultural Land Reserve, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Richmond, and Delta is risky.

Fraser River Flood Scenarios of Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Select map to enlarge.

Fraser River Flood Scenarios of Richmond and Delta. Select map to enlarge.

Fraser River Flood Scenarios of Surrey and Langley. Select map to enlarge.

Coastal Flood Scenarios Map of Richmond and Delta. Select map to enlarge.

Coastal Flood Scenarios Map of Surrey. Select map to enlarge.