Coastal flood risk in Lower Mainland will intensify in the future, says U.S.-based Climate Central
CBC
A new sea level data map shows flood risk zones will extend higher and further inland on Canada's coast, particularly impacting populated areas in parts of Metro Vancouver south of the Fraser River.
It's estimated 325,000 people in Canada will live on land falling in annual flood risk zones by 2100, according information released Thursday by Climate Central — a Princeton non-profit group of scientists and communicators based in New Jersey.
It's a 10 per cent increase from the group's 2030 estimate of 295,000 people facing annual flood risk.
Risk of significant coastal flooding is especially apparent in Richmond, Delta and South Surrey, said Climate Central's vice president Peter Girard.
By the end of the century, nearly all of Richmond — including the airport, Delta and large chunks of Surrey will lie below annual flood levels, the new map projects.
"This isn't surprising," Girard said during a Zoom interview with CBC News.
"As you look south of Vancouver, you see areas already at risk of coastal flooding … and those risks increase over time and by the end of the century you're going to see significant risks."
Previous estimates from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change project sea levels will increase to 0.5 metres by 2050 and one metre by 2100 along the B.C. coast, primarily affecting areas in the Lower Mainland like Richmond and Delta.
It's high time to prepare for the risks, Girard said.
"Being able to look 30 or 60 years into the future … means that planners in those areas can begin preparing for the risk before it becomes reality," he added.
Municipalities south of the Fraser River have been aware of the impending challenge for a long time, Delta Mayor George Harvie said.
"We've been repairing [dikes] and looking at areas which are subjected to winds and storm surges and protecting our residential areas," Harvie told CBC News.
But the Delta mayor said the responsibility of maintaining dikes is weighing heavy on local governments.
"We have about 67 kilometres of dikes in Delta and for us to bring them up to standard [can cost] $2 billion, and that's just for Delta. It's not going to happen."
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