The City of Fernie commissioned high water studies on Coal Creek, Fairy Creek and the Elk River to better understand the risk that flooding poses to our community. The last of these studies were completed in 2017 and showed that the city’s floodplain was expanded and the volume of water to be expected during a potential flood was substantially higher than previously believed. To help protect the community and limit risk, the City has updated the Floodplain Management Bylaw to reflect the findings of the studies.
Photo shows destruction to a building cause by the 1916 Elk River flood in Fernie
The studies showed that there are substantial areas in our city that are in the floodplain that were not previously identified. In addition, the height of the water in our floodplain is higher than previously understood. The work undertaken in the studies identified new flood construction levels for all areas in the floodplain and these will affect any property in the newly defined area.
See the new flood risk areas in red in this map:
The flood risk has passed for 2018, we were very fortunate to have an early melt with no flooding.
