Cowichan River Integrated Flood Management Plan: How One Community is Adapting
Note to Reader:
The focus of Seminar #3 in the 2011 Comox Valley Series will be on floodplain and flooding issues, with emphasis on a ‘risk management’ approach to sea level rise and climate change adaptation:
- Because we have a limited ability to engineer change, we need to be cautious and anticipate nature’s extremes.
A desired outcome is that participants will understand how a common-sense approach to determining ‘risk tolerance’ would inform the Comox Valley regional response to climate change and infrastructure liability.
Risk Management Theme: Respect the Power of Nature
“Showcasing of the Lower Cowichan River integrated plan for flood management creates an opportunity for inter-valley sharing because we in the Comox Valley can learn from the recent experience of our peers in the Cowichan Valley,” states Glenn Westendorp, Public Works Superintendent with the Town of Comox. He is Chair of the 2011 Seminar Series.
“Kate Miller, Manager of the Regional Environmental Policy Division in the Cowichan Valley Regional District, will be our special guest. Kate will elaborate on how one community is adapting. She will tell us about some of the precedent-setting work that is taking place in the Cowichan Valley. She will address a number of themes, including how to move from theory to practice.”
Lower Cowichan River
The lower slopes and floodplain of the Cowichan – Koksilah river system in the Cowichan River Regional District contain significant areas of agricultural land as well as rural, urban 
and industrial development. Dikes have been built along both banks of the Cowichan River to protect the developed urban core of the City of Duncan and the extensive agricultural and industrialized zones downstream. Dikes have also been constructed on lands of the Cowichan Tribes at various tiines including along the Koksilah River.
The valley has experienced many flood events resulting from high flows in the Cowichan River and its tributaries, and from ponding in low-lying areas during heavy rain events. Large flow events in the Cowichan River were documented in 1979, 1986, 2007, and 2009.
Flood Management Area and Plan
The flood management area extends along the Cowichan River from below the Catalyst water intake down to the ocean and along the Koksilah River from just below Bright Angel Park down to the ocean. Also included are Somenos Creek and Somenos Lake.
Coincident with the release of the Integrated Flood Management Plan, were the November 2009 and January 2010 floods. In June 2010, a three-phase federal – provincial infrastructure aid program was announced, which will enable the CVRD and Cowichan Tribes to implement some parts of the flood management plan.
Reporting Out
The final report from the Integrated Flood Management Plan was presented to the CVRD’s Regional Services Committee in May 2010. Click here to download the agenda package, including the Executive Summary, Conclusions, Table of Contents, and Map.
A summary of the Integrated Flood Management Plan was presented at the September 2010 meeting of the Cowichan Watershed Board.Click here to view presentation.
Posted June 2011