Technical Flood Mapping Reports

Main Report

The District of Ucluelet is located on the Ucluth Peninsula between Barkley Sound and the Pacific Ocean. The coastal setting means that the area is exposed to coastal flood hazards from storms and tsunamis.  Climate change brings further hazards including sea level rise (SLR).  The District of Ucluelet recognises the importance of understanding coastal flood hazards and commissioned Ebbwater Consulting Inc. and its partner Cascadia Coast Research Ltd. to produce modern flood maps to better understand these hazards.

The final report will be used to identify ways to mitigate the risks associated with floods and tsunamis, and to help with emergency response planning and planning policy development.

The Technical Report, Appendices and Map Atlas Series are provided here.  Public Exhibit materials are currently in development and will be available on the website shortly.

Download Low Resolution PDF (4MB) Report

Report Appendices

The main report is supported by the following appendices:

• Appendix A - Coastal Storm and Tsunami Hydrodynamic Modelling Analysis
• Appendix B - Coastal Erosion Preliminary Data Evaluation
• Appendix C - Coastal Flood Hazard Map Atlas (see below for map downloads)
• Appendix D - Coastal Storm Flood Depths and Flood Construction Level Differences

Download Appendix A	Download Appendix B	Download Appendix D

Appendix C - Map Atlas Series

Explanations of these maps and the scenarios illustrated can be found in the main project report.  For an explanation of the Flood Hazard Maps, please refer to page 47.  For an explanation of the Tsunami Flood Hazard Maps, please refer to page 56.

Series 1 - Coastal Storm Flood Hazard (Flood Depth and Extent)

This series of maps provide essential information on where water may go in a flood, and how deep that water might be.  The maps indicate where people, infrastructure, and cultural and environmental assets are most exposed to a flood hazard.

Download Coastal Flood Hazard Maps High Resolution PDF File (12MB)

Series 2 - Coastal Storm Flood Planning Support (Sea Level Rise and Flood Construction Level)

This series of maps shows land that is not currently exposed to flooding from designated storms but will likely be in the future with sea level rises.  The Flood Construction Level (FCL) is used to establish the elevation of the underside of a wooden floor system or top of concrete slab for habitable buildings.

Download Coastal Storm Flood Planning Support Maps High Resolution PDF File (18MB)

Series 3 - Tsunami Flood Hazard (Flood Depth and Extent)

This series of maps provide essential information on tsunami flood depths and extents as a result of a megathrust earthquake. 

Download Tsunami Flood Hazard Maps High Resolution PDF File (14MB)

Series 4 - Tsunami Flood Planning Support (Tsunami Flood Planning Level and Vulnerability Zones)

The Tsunami Flood Planning level is the elevation below which areas are considered exposed to a tsunami hazard.  The Tsunami Flood Hazard Vulnerability Zones are related to the vulnerability of people as they walk or drive through flood waters, or as they remain inside a structure during a tsunami flood event.

Download Tsunami Flood Planning Support Maps High Resolution PDF File (18MB)

Copyright Notice

This report is provided under a Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC-Sa 4.0 with the exception of any content supplied by third parties.  This license allows users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, under the following terms:

• Provide appropriate credit by citing this report.
• Do not use the material for commercial purposes.
• If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license.

Suggested report citation: Ebbwater Consulting Inc. and Cascadia Coast Research Ltd. (2020): District of Ucluelet Coastal Flood Mapping. Prepared for the District of Ucluelet.

More Information

If you have any comments or questions regarding the Flood Mapping Project, please contact Bruce Greig or John Towgood in the Community Planning Department.

Public Information Exhibit

The Public Information Exhibit will be available to view from mid-August.  The posters presented at the exhibit are available on this page for downloading.

Location:  Ucluelet Community Centre, Dance Studio
Date:          17th August until mid-September
Time:         During Community Centre opening hours (10am - 3.30pm)
COVID-19 Protocol: Maximum of 4 people in the room, maintaining 2m social distancing

Please note that the exhibit will not be staffed, and any feedback or requests for more information can be emailed to info@ucluelet.ca.

Poster Exhibits

Clicking on the poster image will open a seperate browser tab for easier viewing of the poster.

Poster One		Poster Two		Poster Three

Poster Four		Poster Five		Poster Six

Download All Posters in One PDF Document (4MB)

Watch the Tsunami Flood Modelling Video

More Information

If you have any comments or questions regarding the Flood Mapping Project, please contact Bruce Greig or John Towgood in the Community Planning Department.

Tsunami Flood Modelling Video

The Tsunami Flood Modelling Video was commissioned as part of the Ucluelet Flood Mapping Project to demonstrate the effects a tsunami wave could have on Ucluelet. The video depicts the predicted outcomes of the two modelled Tsunami events completed as part of the project. The video was created using a 3-D laser scanning techniques and orthographic imagery by Andrew Plowright.

Scenario V1 - No Tsunami (0.08s)

The first part of the video looks over the Ucluelet Peninsula without any rise in the sea level and shows what we typically see near high tide. Note the clarity of the information with the forests, roads, buildings and even hydro lines being visible and to scale.

Scenario V2 - Smaller Tsunami (0.53s)

The second scenario shown in the video models the sea level rise of a buried rupture fault event along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This comparative case model has been used in previous studies and allows the results to be compared with other tsunami flood hazard maps from around the region. This model simulation also corresponds to the lower end of the tsunami amplitudes that can be expected, with the least impact to the shore.

In this model, the water level has now gone inland, and you can see the reflections within the trees and in amongst the buildings. It is important to note where water is now visible across roads and highways so that you can organize a personal and neighbourhood emergency plan.

Scenario V3 - Larger Tsunami (1min 35s)

Sea level is increased further using a worst-case (relative to this project only) splay faulting rupture model in the final part of the video. This higher water level further affects the community’s roads and infiltrates even more inland.

We hope this demonstration video will emphasise the importance of personal, neighbourhood, and community preparedness and inform on the need to integrate emergency planning into current and future land use decisions.

More Information

Section 6 of the Final Report and the Map Atlas (Appendix C) contains more in-depth information on the Tsunami Flood Hazards affecting Ucluelet and the models used to predict the sea level rises.

If you have any comments or questions regarding the Flood Mapping Project, please contact Bruce Greig or John Towgood in the Community Planning Department.

Disclaimer

The content in this video has been simplified for visualisation purposes. The terrain and water levels represented here may not exactly match the modelled tsunami flood scenarios. For example, the calm water in the video only indicates the maximum water levels (as still water). The actual tsunami waves approaching and overtaking the coastline are not shown. The tsunami visualisations include 1m of relative sea level rise caused by climate change.

Please refer to the Coastal Flood Mapping Report for details on methods, results, and map outputs. Ebbwater Consulting Inc. and Cascadia Coast Research developed the flood mapping in accordance with generally accepted engineering practices and with full understanding of applicable natural hazard and mapping guidelines in the Province of British Columbia. The mapping outputs were developed for the District of Ucluelet, and the consulting team denies any liability to others.

Sustainability and Climate Action

Sustainability

The District of Ucluelet is uniquely situated in a beautiful, natural location that is desirable to visitors from around the world. However, the impacts of those visitors now provide some of Ucluelet’s most important sustainability challenges.

The District has looked to set an example for the community by achieving provincial, national, and even international standards for climate action. Provincially, the District has achieved Level 3 “Achievement of Carbon Neutrality” status for municipal operations following the purchase of verified carbon offsets from Offsetters.ca. Ucluelet has been consistently committed to carbon neutral operations as a signatory of the BC Climate Action Charter. Nationally, the District has reached FCM benchmarks for climate action, explained below. Internationally, the District also achieved benchmarks in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, achieving new standards for mitigation and adaptation plan development.

Announcements

On July 26, 2021 Ministerial Order M309, provided municipalities the authority to make a bylaw to regulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to the protection of the natural environment.

The District of Ucluelet Inititates Network of Level 2 Electic Vehicle Chargers  July 23, 2020

Climate Action and Adaptation Plans

In March of 2019, Ucluelet adopted its first Climate Action Plan, plan, which set ambitious 2050 targets of 100% Renewable Energy and 80% reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Funded by the FCM Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, the plan includes an inventory of community emissions, goals to achieve the targets, and strategies to achieve those goals. This effort led to the awarding of FCM Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Milestone 4 and Milestone 2 for action community and corporate emissions, respectively.

Ucluelet has moved forward on other important climate action initiatives in 2019 including:

• The District purchased 4 dual port Level 2 EV charging stations and supported community efforts that will result in a total of 9 level 2 charging locations and 2 DC fast-charging stations installed in 2020.
• Ucluelet was successful in its application for a $150,000 grant from the Province of BC to complete flood risk mapping of the community’s coastline.

In January of 2021, Ucluelet adopted its first Climate Change Adaptation Plan. After conducting detailed risk assessments to identify current and future climate impacts to the coastal community, the completed plan will now be integrated into the District’s workplans and annual reporting. This project was funded under the ICLEI Changemakers Project.

District of Ucluelet Climate Change Adaptation Plan

100% Renewable Energy Plan - Clean Energy for the Safe Harbour

2018 Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program (CARIP) Public Report

If you have any comments or questions regarding Sustainability and Climate Action, please email the District at info@ucluelet.ca.