Members of Metro Vancouver’s Flood Resilience Committee will get a chance this week to discuss how their communities were impacted and how they responded to the recent atmospheric river event.
At their meeting on Wednesday (Nov. 20), the committee will look at not only what happened, but ideas moving forward on how Metro can respond better.
On Oct. 19, the atmospheric river hit the Metro Vancouver region and brought record breaking rainfall, flooding, widespread power outages and a mudslide in Coquitlam that washed away a home and killed one person.
A report notes several key responsibilities of the committee, which includes Delta Coun. Dylan Kruger as chair, includes reviewing the Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy and the Provincial Flood Management Strategy, as well as the impacts on the region by the severe flooding in November and December of 2021.
The committee’s mandate also includes, among other things, identifying risks and gaps in the existing infrastructure to mitigate flooding.
The City of Delta managed last month’s storm quite well.
In an interview with the Optimist days after the weather event, engineering director Steven Lan said the city made significant improvements to the drainage system since a previous atmospheric river event three years ago.
Some of the recent improvements include upgrades to the Oliver Street pump station as well as the installation of a new high-capacity pump at the Chilukthan pump station.
The city is also submitting a grant application for the Mason Pump Station, located at 3393 River Road West. Nearing the end of its service life, that pump station is Delta's largest drainage pump station in the west Ladner area and is critical to prevent flooding of low-lying agricultural land.
The City of Delta was recently successful in securing federal dollars for a pair of other drainage control projects.
The city last year submitted grant applications to the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund program for new pumps stations at 84th Street and Silda Ditch.
Carrying a total estimated price tag of more than $19 million, the projects are aimed at further protecting low-lying areas.
It was announced Nov. 8 that the city would receive $7.6 million in funding.
Mayor George Harvie said the new pump stations will play a crucial role in safeguarding Delta’s low-lying areas that face flooding due to rainfall events, strengthening infrastructure and ensuring the long-term sustainability for Delta’s industrial sector and agricultural community.
Noting severe weather from heavy rain and atmospheric rivers are becoming more frequent, Harvie said the funding allows Delta to address the risks head-on.
Meanwhile, some of the other key projects being eyed in Delta include the Ladner Waterfront Flood Protection Strategy and a River Road West flood protection plan, while dike and seawall projects will include, among other things, a strategy for Boundary Bay and Beach Grove.
