Welcome to our flood protection page

Here you will find a collection of:

• how Richmond is staying safe and resilient
• recent engagement initiatives
• videos, links, and documents
• facts and figures, master plans and strategies
• past engagement campaigns

All providing valuable information on dikes and flood protection in Richmond.

Why Richmond has the most comprehensive flood protection systems in BC

The City of Richmond is made up of islands within the floodplain of the Fraser River, where the river flows into the Salish Sea.

At an average of 1 metre (3 feet) above sea level, Richmond faces flood hazards from sea level rise, coastal storm surges, snowmelt flooding and extreme weather events. Therefore, flood protection is incredibly important.

To ensure Richmond remains safe, the City has one of the most comprehensive flood protection systems in British Columbia.

What is Keeping Richmond Safe?

The guiding framework to upgrade and improve flood protection across the City in advance of sea level rise and other climate driven flood hazards are the City's Flood Protection Management Strategy and Dike Master Plan.

Our flood protection system is designed to withstand high water events such as spring freshet and king tides. It can also handle a 1:500 flooding event – a major flood that has a 0.2% chance of happening in any given year

Current flood protection infrastructure

Includes...

Dikes: 49 kilometres of dikes that hold back the waters of the sea and river

Drainage pipes: 600 kilometres of drainage pipes that transport water out of the city

Culverts: 61 kilometres of culverts and tunnels that carry streams and act as rainwater storage

Channelized watercourses: 151 kilometres of man-made channels that move water through and out of the city

Pumps: 39 drainage pump stations that pump rain and groundwater into the Fraser River

Sensors: Numerous flood protection sensors spread throughout Richmond that provide real-time data on river levels, rainfall and stormwater drainage.

How Richmond is Preparing

Flood Protection Management Strategy

A key action identified in the City's Flood Protection Management Strategy involves continuing to upgrade the City's perimeter dike in anticipation of climate change induced sea level rise.

Dike Master Plan

The City’s Dikes Master Plan outlines the process to upgrade the City’s dike in advance of sea level rise and other climate change-driven flood hazards and has been divided into the following phases:

Speeding Up Dike Raising

The long term goal is to raise the dikes from 3.5 metres in elevation to 4.7 metres in elevation, to stay ahead of sea level rise. Richmond City Council has endorsed accelerating the timeline of this work to 50 years to improve diking infrastructure in advanced of current anticipated climate change impacts.

Dike raising provides better flood protection and can also improve wildlife habitat and recreation, including:

• access to the shoreline
• transportation (walking, cycling, vehicles), public space, parks and community facilities and amenities
• environmental and habitat features for birds, animals and fish

Upgraded south dike near Gilbert Road