Globe and Mail - Building on river floodplains has proven costly and devastating to Canadians.
A new analysis by the Globe and Mail (using new floodplain maps developed by the University of Western Ontario) reveals just how vulnerable Canadian cities are to flooding, with more than 30 Canadian cities with populations >10,000 having at least 10% of the cities buildings located in a 100-year floodplain, a risky exposure even today. But how will hydrologic conditions change in the future? What impact will climate change exert on floodplains? In fact, what does a “100-year” flood even mean when the climate changes? We know that climate change increases extreme precipitation, so how can we account for these future changes today? These are all questions that we are hoping to explore with the Canada 1 Water project.
Click here to read the Globe and Mail analysis.
Click here to access the new flood maps developed by the University of Western Ontario.
“Different communities chose different levels of protection. A common standard is the 100-year flood, meaning one that has a 1 per cent probability of occurring in any given year. But many municipalities, engineering firms and flood mitigation experts regard that as a bare minimum; most urban areas in Canada protect themselves to a higher 200-year standard, according to a 2016 report by the federal Parliamentary Budget Officer. On the high end is the Red River Floodway, which protects Winnipeg to a 700-year standard”