CRD identifies Greater Victoria areas most vulnerable to sea-level rise, flooding

As climate change is top-of-mind for many British Columbians, the Capital Regional District has updated a project that identifies the areas most vulnerable to flooding as a result of coastal storms and sea-level rise.

The report analyzes 221 areas for sea-level rise inundation. Most of the CRD’s coastline is elevated and the general risk of extensive flooding is low, but low-lying areas remain at risk.

The most vulnerable regions are McNeill Bay in Oak Bay because of the gently sloping beaches, along with Saanich’s Cadboro Bay, Sidney’s Tulista Park and Roberts Bay, and Victoria’s harbour and Gorge Waterway.

“It’s a concern,” says Dylan Tanner, whose family owns property in the McNeill Bay neighbourhood. “I’d be a lot more worried if I lived in the South Pacific on some of the islands that are disappearing, but it’s definitely an issue.”

Ecosystems at the Sooke River estuary, sites around Esquimalt Lagoon and parts of Island View Beach Regional park are also at risk of intertidal zone changes.

The report says more research is needed in those areas, along with sites near Metchosin, Colwood and Oak Bay, to better understand the effect of prolonged submergence.

“It is almost certain that without mitigative action, these sites could be irreparably damaged or lost to future generations,” the report says.

The CRD project got a $705,000 grant from the National Disaster Mitigation Program, which is funded by the provincial and federal governments.

The work is designed to be shared with the region’s municipalities and First Nations to help inform decisions and develop building guidelines.