Delta staff and crews are on high alert due to the possibility of flooding this week.
As expected, so-called “King Tides” have been making an appearance with high tides forecast in the 14- to 16-foot range daily until at least Sunday.
The problem in Boundary Bay and Beach Grove is not so much with the seasonal tide, but concern over a storm surge created by high winds, explained Delta CAO George Harvie, noting they’ll be paying close attention in the coming days in the event a public alert needs to be issued.
“This is the time of year we have what they call King Tides, the highest recorded tides of the season. We’re going to start hitting high-15s and 16-foot tides. The key thing is they won’t cause flooding themselves, but if we get into a strong southeasterly wind, then we will have situations where we would have wave action coming over the beach walls and cause some flooding,” Harvie said.
“Our crews are ready and we have equipment ready to go. We have our plan that’s always in place and we’ll have people checking the tides during the night and early morning hours.”
Noting the current forecast doesn’t include extreme winds, which could cause problems even if tides aren’t at the highest levels, Harvie noted civic crews that normally check the local pump stations will also frequently visit the most vulnerable neighbourhoods.
According to a municipal engineering department report last fall, the tropical Pacific Ocean is experiencing very strong El Nino conditions that are trending towards the largest El Nino event since 1997-98. Previous El Ninos in 1982 and 1997 were responsible for two of the highest surge and water level events on the coast of B.C. The intensifying El Nino conditions are expected to lead to increased frequency and intensity of storms, but it's difficult to forecast, which makes constant monitoring imperative.
Annual temporary flood protection measures have already been undertaken and the next phase of Delta's flood plan kicks in when southeasterly winds in the range of 80 km/h combine with a high tide. The mayor, fire chief, police chief and engineering department are notified and protection measures are implemented at beach access points.
Sandbags are available for residents at several locations in Boundary Bay and Beach Grove.
In February of 2006, strong winds and a high tide of more than 18 feet caused extensive flooding in the area.
