FAQs

Coastal hazards are those related to natural events like flooding and coastal erosion. These hazards can be intensified during an extreme storm or when an earthquake causes a tsunami, land subsidence (gradual land surface sinking) or landslide (sudden downslope movement of land) along the coast or in upland areas under tidal influence. Causes of coastal hazards include storm surge, storm waves, strong currents and sediment, and sea level rise. These forces continually shape the RDN’s coast.

The combination of coastal hazards (such as flooding and erosion) plus the possibility of a negative consequence (such as property impacts) creates a coastal risk. A coastal hazard poses no risk if there are no consequences; but if there is potential that coastal hazards could impact people, property, buildings, sensitive habitats or infrastructure, coastal risk is present. To that end, risks can vary from place to place, even along the same coastline. This means we need to make better decisions about where to build and what to do to protect our communities and our environment.

Preparing for coastal risks in our region is everyone’s responsibility. The RDN is completing a Coastal Risk Assessment to better understand where our coastal areas are most vulnerable. This information will help us work together to identify options and tools that residents, business owners, and the RDN can use to better manage and adapt to a changing climate and coast. As we continue the conversation on coastal risks, we will be inviting residents of the RDN to stay involved.

Continued collaboration between all levels of government, First Nations, partners and you, residents of the RDN, is needed to create a more sustainable and resilient region. Working together to plan ahead means we can focus on things like regional enhancement and economic growth rather than repair and recovery. 

You are in the right place to learn more about coastal risk! 

The RDN has undergone several projects related to climate adaptation and sea level rise over the last few years, including: 

• Adoption of a new Flood Hazard Mitigation Bylaw to replace the previous RDN Floodplain Bylaw - Complete
• Adoption of the Coastal Flood Hazard Development Permit Area which designates the mapped coastal floodplain as the development permit area - Complete
• Slope Hazard Study - Complete
• Coastal Risk and and Erosion Assessments  - Complete
• Coastal Risk and Erosion Assessments Engagement  - Currently Underway

For more information on related projects, please visit the RDN Climate Adaptation Project Hub.

The work is funded through the RDN’s Regional Growth Strategy Service and contributions from the Union of BC Municipalities’ (UBCM) Emergency Preparedness Fund and the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program.

A coastal risk assessment identifies where a hazard, like coastal flooding from storm surge and sea level rise, might cause damage. In the RDN study, the following risk assessment looks both at whether something gets flooded and if so, how badly it might be damaged. For our area, we are interested in both what is currently at risk as this informs emergency preparedness, and what might become at risk under different levels of anticipated sea level rise. This information helps identify where to prioritize planning efforts and provides some insight into solutions that could help limit risks to people and infrastructure.

A coastal erosion hazard assessment identifies areas where the coastline is more likely to move and change due to the nature of the shoreline (e.g. immovable rock versus moveable sand or cobble), and/or ocean processes (e.g. strong currents moving shoreline sediments and/or larger wave exposure). This information can then be used to help identify priority areas, and then to start evaluating risks and potential responses.

Sea level rise refers to the long-term increase in the average level of the ocean. As the climate warms, melting glaciers and ice sheets along with expansion of warmer ocean water and changes in ocean circulation, cause levels to rise around the world. 

Sea level rise is mainly caused by two things: the melting of ice from glaciers and ice sheets, and the expansion of seawater as it warms. Locally, other factors like tides, land elevation, wind and storms also influence how sea level rise is experienced. 

Even if global emissions drop rapidly, some sea level rise is already 'locked in' due to past warming. What we can do is adapt, by planning ahead, protecting or redesigning infrastructure, using nature-based solutions, and reducing risks to people and ecosystems. 

Sea levels are going to rise where we live and will impact our coasts. Local studies have noted we'll be looking at a rise in water level of around +0.38m anticipated for year 2050, and +0.88m for year 2100. 

Sea levels have fluctuated over the course of global time scales, but current impacts are much higher and more rapid than ever before. Since 1880, the global average temperature has increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius, with most of that warming occurring since 1975a t a rate of 0.15-0.20 degrees Celsius per decade. This means even if we drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions today, oceans will continue to rise for hundreds, or even thousands, of years. 

We have the benefit of time on our side, with decades to prepare. Having time on our side gives us the opportunity to plan thoughtfully and efficiently. Choosing to delay or do nothing narrows our options and increases costs over time. And what we build today will still be around for the impacts of tomorrow. 

The cost of planning ahead is much less than the cost of last-minute solutions, and so we're working today to reduce the long-term costs associated with sea level rise. The work is funded through the RDN's Regional Growth Strategy Service and contributions from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Emergency preparedness Fun and the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program. 

Coastal flooding will have broader impacts than just waterfront properties - it will affect many of the other areas we love like parks, trails, and businesses. it will also impact infrastructure like roadways, emergency routes, and sewer pipes. We all need these!

Coastal adaptation isn't just about oceanfront houses - it's about roads, utilities, jobs, tax stability, and regional economic health.  The goal is to protect public assets and reduce long-term costs for everyone, not to subsidize private interests. 

Costs will depend on how much protection is needed, what assets are at risk, and how quickly action is taken and is currently being studied for each area. What we do know is that proactive adaptation is far less expensive than repeated disaster recovery and infrastructure replacement after major flooding. The earlier we start, the less this will cost over time. 

Just because the maps show a risk to your property does not mean an impact is guaranteed to happen. We want to increase the resilience of all coastal properties, and by understanding that specific challenges in each area, shared adaptations will be able to be looked at so we don't need to be talking about being 'forced out'. 

No, our job is to help support you in finding the best solutions that work for you. We're a recourse that can help show what the risks are and then offer some possible adaptations that might work over the short, medium, and long terms. This project is not intended to create inflexible decisons from on high. When developing near the coastline, it is important however, to understand municipal and other government regulations are in place to protect the environment and development from future hazards. 

The good news is we have time on our side, with only a foot or so of sea level riuse anticipated in mid-Century. Over that timescale coastal homes and roads and infrastructure would need to be upgraded or rebuilt anyway. We can offer options that can be thought about over the medium and long terms so your property is at a lower risk. These maps and the study will help us do that, and can help to improve your long-term ability to get insurance/mortgage etc. They also help us come up with more creative and lower cost solutions than jsut building a wall. 

The areas noted at risk in the technical studies could all have these impacts. This project and future planning will continue to look at ways to adapt to this risk. 

The current study is looking at the three key risk areas in the RDN, to act as a template for how to approach adaptation planning. We will be picking areas that represent many interests, with the idea that this will empower municipalities4 and other jurisdictions in our region to keep the planning process moving forward. 

Experts use detailed elevation maps of the shoreline and combined them with global sea level rise projections based on climate models. They also factor in things like high-tides, extreme storm surges, and how much of the land is rising due to tectonic forces and post-glacial rebound. Together, this information helps create maps that show where flooding may happen in the future, so communities can plan ahead and reduce risk. 

A "1-in-200 year flood" does not mean it only happens once every 200 years. it means that in any given year, there's a 0.5% chance of that level of flooding happening - also referred to as the Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP). It is a way to describe how rare and severe an event is, and it commonly used in coastal flood planning to account for high-impact, low-probability risks. 

A flood construction level (FCL) is the high water level used when planning infrastructure for flood protection. It is used to determine how high new buildings and/or critical infrastructure should be elevated above the projected flood level. It includes sea level rise projections, tides, storm surge, wind set up and wave run-up, and freeboard. These are chosen based on risk tolerance (e.g. designing a 1-in-200-year event with 1 m of sea level rise).  

Freeboard is a safety buffer added on top of the expected flood level when setting building or infrastructure elevations. It accounts for uncertainties like wave action, future sea level rise or extreme weather. In BC, the recommended freeboard for coastal areas is 0.6 metres, which gets added to the projected high water mark to reduce the risk of damage during extreme events.