Designated floodplain

A 500-year return period ocean event means that, on average, the event will occur once in 500 years (or a 0.2% AEP event). The designated floodplain consists of the coastal floodplain and the Still Creek floodplain. The land in the floodplain is subject to Vancouver Building Bylaw’s Floodplain Standards and Requirements (2015).

The bylaw specifies shoreline and creek setback requirements, and flood construction level requirements for parcels in the floodplain. Please refer to the bylaw for further information about flood proofing and setback requirements. The Designated Floodplain layer shows the coastal floodplain in False Creek and the Fraser River.

These areas could flood due to a 1:500-year storm (major storm that has a 1/500 (or 0.002%) chance of occurring in any given year) with 1 metre of sea level rise (projected for the year 2100) and 0.6 m of freeboard, should no interventions take place. The Still Creek floodplain shows the areas subject to overland flooding due to the creek overflowing. Wave effect zone is defined as a general term describing all aspects of wave interaction with a coastal structure including wave setup, wave run-up and overtopping.

The area that is exposed to wave effect are the areas of the coastline where wind-induced waves can significantly raise the coastal water level above still water conditions.​ Data accuracy ​Original data was in UTM Zone 10N, NA83 (EPSG:26910) Source: ​ Maps 1-8 on page 5/89 of Coastal Flood Risk Assessment (​CFRA)1 Maps ​ Websites for further information Sea level rise Fraser River Coastal Adaptation Plan False Creek Coastal Adaptation Plan Flood prevention tips ​​​