Flood Hazard Land Use Management in British Columbia
- Floodplains in British Columbia
- Floodplain Development
- Reducing Flood Threats
- Reducing Flood Damage
- Legislation
- Guidelines and Guidance Document
- More Information
1. Floodplains in British Columbia
Flooding is a common hazard in British Columbia as a result of heavy rainfall (flash floods), snowmelt (spring freshets), ice jams and even tsunamis. When a water course overflows its banks, floodplains store the water until it is able to move downstream or be absorbed into the ground. Flooding is a natural event that replenishes the ground water and revitalizes the soil through the deposit of sediments.
2. Floodplain Development
Floodplains, including low-lying coastal areas, have historically been used for urban growth in British Columbia as these were the only flat areas suitable for development. As a result, many British Columbia communities have experienced flood damage in the major floods of 1894, 1948 and 1972 and the minor floods (less than $10 million damage) that occur virtually every year in British Columbia.
Stone Creek Flooding
3. Reducing Flood Threats
Reducing flood damage and disruption are important concerns for the provincial government and communities within British Columbia. Therefore, the province has several initiatives to increase public safety from water-related hazards. These include the:
 Flood damage can be reduced by engineering works (dikes), floodproofing techniques, pre-flood planning initiatives and post-flood emergency measures. Engineering works, such as dams and dikes, do reduce the risk of flood damage. However, during severe floods dike failure may occur due to erosion, overtopping or seepage and flooding will occur. It is impractical, and beyond our economic means, to eliminate all flood damage with dams and dikes.
4. Reducing Flood Damage
The most effective method of reducing the risk of flood damage is to regulate development on the floodplain. This requires the cooperation of all levels of government, developers, builders, realtors and the public. Land-use decisions by local governments must take into account flood risks to ensure that development occurs on the least hazardous lands.
Increased public safety and protection of property is achieved through:
- public awareness of flood hazards;
- establishment of floodproofing standards for new development;
- local government land-use planning;
- appropriate regulation of subdivision approvals.
5. Legislation
Flood hazard land use management objectives have been incorporated into the provincial laws respecting land development. These include the:
- Community Charter - which provides for the issuance of building permits;
- Land Title Act — which provides for approval of the subdivision of floodplain lands;
- Local Government Act — which enables local governments to consider the impacts of flooding in their land planning and management responsibilities, including:
- development of Official Community Plans for future land use;
- development of flood hazard bylaws; and
- adoption of appropriate floodplain building standards;
- Flood Hazard Statutes Amendment Act, 2003 — which amended several of these acts; and
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For updated legislation, please refer to the Flood Hazard Management home page.
6. Guidelines and Guidance Document
Flood damages, which have historically been an expense paid by the taxpayers of British Columbia, can be reduced with appropriate management of flood-prone lands.
Management guidelines for flood-hazard-area land use have been prepared to help local governments, land-use managers and approving officers develop and implement land-use management plans and make subdivision approval decisions for flood hazard areas:
Flood Hazard Area Land Use Management Guidelines  (642kb)
A guidance document is available to assist in the selection of qualified professionals and the preparation of flood hazard assessment reports.
Guidance for Selection of Qualified Professionals and Preparation of Flood Hazard Assessment Reports (144kb)
7. More Information
For more information on the regulation of development on floodplain lands or to determine if your land is subject to flooding, contact your local government planning office.
For information regarding the guidelines and guidance document, contact:
MoE Coastal Flood Hazard Management Section (for Regions 1, 2 and 6) at 604-582-5213, or
Interior Flood Hazard Management Section
- for Regions 3 (Thompson) and 5 (Cariboo) at 250-371-6298
- for Region 4 (Kootenay) at 250-354-6388
- for Regions 7 (Omineca) and 9 (Peace) at 250-565-6437
- for Region 8 (Okanagan) at 250-490-8255
See MoE regional boundaries at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/main/prgs/regions_map.html
E-mail: Water.Stewardship@gov.bc.ca
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