1 Scope

1.1 General

This Document is intended to inform planning and development decisions in flood hazard areas across multiple forms of flooding serving as an important reference for infrastructure investment, emergency management planning, and community resilience across the province.

This Document provides guidance for incorporating flood hazard and flood risk information into planning, land management, subdivision review, and development decisions. It is intended to support the development and implementation of land-use management plans that reduce flood risk and improve long-term community resilience.

The guidance is relevant to authorities established under provincial legislation, including the Local Government Act, Community Charter, Land Title Act, Disaster Management and Emergency Act, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and related enactments, as well as First Nation laws, Land Codes, constitutions, treaties, and other Indigenous governance authorities. It is intended for use by local governments, First Nations, approving officers, and other authorities having jurisdiction. It may also assist provincial agencies, including the Ministry of Transportation and Transit and the Agricultural Land Commission, when considering approvals in flood hazard areas.

This Document complements, but does not replace, flood hazard and risk assessments, engineering studies, integrated flood management planning, emergency management, infrastructure planning, or other technical processes.

Nothing in this Document is intended to limit or direct the authority or discretion of a decision-maker. Requirements arise only through applicable legislation, regulations, bylaws, permits, standards, treaties, Land Codes, or First Nation laws. However, the Document reflects current leading practice for flood hazard land-use management in British Columbia and may inform future policies, standards, guidance, and decisions, including considerations of whether flood risk has been adequately mitigated in a particular context.

1.2 Inclusions

This Document provides guidance to decision-making across a range of hazard types, settings, land uses, development contexts. The governance scales apply to land within B.C. exposed to all types of flood hazard.

1.2.1 Hazard Types

The guidance in this Document predominantly applies to fluvial (riverine), lakeshore, and coastal zone flooding. Users may address additional hazards using a risk-informed approach, including:

a)  pluvial (rainfall and stormwater) flooding;

b)  debris flow and debris flood events;

c)  groundwater flooding;

d)  ice-jam flooding;

e)  glacial lake outburst flooding;

f)   compound flooding (multiple concurrent sources);

g)  dam break flooding; and

h)  tsunami flooding.

1.2.2 Settings

Applicable flood-prone settings and locations include:

a)  lands adjacent to watercourses and all water body types;

b)  areas downstream of dams or hydraulic structures;

c)  floodplains;

d)  alluvial fans; and

e)  areas protected by dikes and other structural mitigation works.

1.2.3 Land Uses

Applicable land uses include:

a)  residential and multi-residential developments;

b)  commercial areas;

c)  industrial areas;

d)  institutional buildings;

e)  public recreation areas, parks, and open spaces;

f)   agricultural lands, aquaculture and fish farms; and

g)  critical and important infrastructure servicing the above.

1.2.4 Development Contexts

Development contexts include:

a)  existing development;

b)  additions to existing structures;

c)  development on lots existing before bylaw adoption; and

d)  development on proposed lots (e.g., new subdivision).

1.3 Exclusions

This Document is not intended to apply to:

a)  provincial-scale flood governance or emergency management planning;

b)  watershed management planning;

c)  flood hazard areas located outside of B.C.;

d)  technical hazard mapping or risk-assessment methods;

e)  design, construction, or lifecycle management of flood protection infrastructure;

f)   non-flood-related geohazards (e.g., earthquakes, landslides without floodwater);

g)  internal building flooding caused solely by service infrastructure failure;

h)  flooding related exclusively to water treatment systems (e.g. failure of sewage lagoon);

i)   emergency response plans or operations or recovery actions, except where integrated into long-term flood management planning;

j)   projects addressing only minor, localized nuisance flooding;

k)  activities under exclusive federal jurisdiction; and

l)   financial or insurance mechanisms for property loss, except where applicable to land use policies.

1.4 Terminology

In this Document, “must” is used to express a requirement, i.e., a mandatory provision of applicable legislation; “should” is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and “may” is used to express an option within the scope of the Document.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material. Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements. Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.

1.5 Units of measure

The values given in SI (metric) units are the units of record for the purposes of this Document. The values given in parentheses are for information and comparison only.