Flooding to lawn bowling green in Polson Park in 2020 (Photo credit: City of Vernon)

By Pete McIntyre

Risks and impacts

New study details how Vernon can become flood-resilient

Mar 2, 2022 | 5:00 AM

Learning more about Vernon’s flooding history, will help the city be better prepared for high water events in the future.

A flood mapping study aimed at increasing flood resiliency, has been completed for the city, which includes an online interactive “Flood Story.”

Flooding on Vernon Creek in Polson Park in 1959 (Submitted photo: City of Vernon)

The project looked into the risks and potential impacts to the community if significant flooding were to occur on Vernon Creek or BX Creek. It also offers recommendations to help residents and the city prepare for future flood events and mitigate negative impacts to the community.

“Living in Vernon means living with the natural movement and flow of water as it travels through a vast system of streams, creeks, lakes and other water courses in the North Okanagan and into the rest of the Okanagan Valley,” said Mayor Victor Cumming. “Flooding is a natural occurrence and can happen any time across B.C. There are environmental benefits that come from flooding, but also some community-based risks.

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“We know Vernon has faced floods, and will face flood events in the future. What we don’t know is how much water will be involved,” the mayor continued. “So now is the time to understand our areas of risk, the state of our current infrastructure, what we can do to prepare ourselves as a city and as community members, plus what steps we can take to mitigate potential impacts from rising water levels.”

The study used a 1-in-200 year flood event to model water levels along Vernon Creek, and a flood record from 1996 to model water levels along BX Creek (which was larger than the 1-in-200 year event). Both models were adjusted for future climate change.

Flooding on BX Creek and extreme water levels on Kalamalka Lake and Okanagan Lake occurred due to heavy spring rainfall and snowmelt in 2017. (Photo credit: City of Vernon).

For those wanting to find out more, it’s recommended they check out the Flood Story. It offers detailed information on the floodplain, describes potential impacts to the community, and recommends a number of mitigation measures that can be put in place by the city, residents, and property owners within the floodplain.

It also recommends a series of flood-mitigation projects the city can undertake, related to emergency response planning, land use and development bylaws, and infrastructure upgrades. Council has endorsed the recommendations from the study and directed administration to begin working on them. Some of the projects can begin right away, while others will require more detailed feasibility studies to be done in order to appropriately plan next steps.

Cumming said the flood-mitigation projects will take time to complete.

“However, as plans are developed, projects are completed, and more work is done to further understand ongoing changes to our environment, climate, and community, Vernon will be much better prepared to face and withstand the impacts of flooding. We can become flood resilient,” Cumming said.

Residents are invited to explore Vernon’s Flood Story by visiting www.vernon.ca/floodstory.