The Cowichan Valley Regional District is looking for funding to help complete its updated flood mapping for the Koksilah and Cowichan rivers.
At the board meeting on Feb. 26, the board decided to apply to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities’ Community Emergency Preparedness Fund for $81,000 for the completion of the project.
In 2018, the CVRD received funding through the National Disaster Mitigation Program to update the flood mapping for the lower Cowichan/Koksilah floodplain, with the total cost of the project so far at approximately $550,000.
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The project, which will help guide future development in the area, was to use updated LiDAR data from GeoBC in order to ensure the flood mapping met provincial and federal standards.
“Unfortunately, delivery of the LiDAR data to the CVRD has been repeatedly delayed, with the promised mid-August, 2019, delivery date now pushed to March 31, 2020,” said Jeff Moore, a senior environmental analyst in the district, in a staff report.
“Under the terms of the NDMP funding agreement, the CVRD flood mapping project is also due on March 31, 2020, and the funders have indicated that no extension is possible.”
Moore said the delays in LiDAR delivery have both delayed the project and increased the overall project cost, as the consultants carrying out the flood mapping have had to use older LiDAR to create interim flood maps by the funding deadline.
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He said that in order to ensure completion of the flood mapping project, additional funding sources are required, and that this project is eligible for funding under the UBCM’s CEPF.
“The updated flood mapping project will update the 2009 flood maps to take into account the new dikes as well as the project impacts of climate change, both in terms of increased storm intensity and sea-level rise,” Moore said.
“The flood mapping will meet federal and provincial flood mapping standards and will be used to guide development within the floodplain.”
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
