B.C., Washington Nooksack River tour to help with trans-border flood planning
Posted July 21, 2022 8:27 am.
Last Updated July 21, 2022 8:31 am.
A delegation from B.C., including Abbotsford’s mayor, will be touring the Nooksack River in Washington state Thursday.
The trip is part of what’s being dubbed a “technical site visit.”
It comes less than a year after an atmospheric river brought torrential rains to the Pacific Northwest. As a result, the powerful river overtopped its dikes, leading to record-setting floods in parts of the Lower Mainland.
The visit is also part of a transboundary initiative announced by B.C. Premier John Horgan and Washington Governor Jay Inslee earlier this year.
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Emergency Management BC (EMBC) says in an email to CityNews that the effort includes a response to “more frequent and severe flooding of the Nooksack River caused by climate change,” as well as work to “drive the design of projects and programs and identify sources of funding.”
Officials in both jurisdictions have been speaking to stakeholders on both sides of the border since the initiative was announced in March.
“Together, we are now working on establishing a governance structure to advance the identified priorities under the transboundary initiative,” EMBC adds.
In November 2021, the public works director with the City of Bellingham told CityNews the flooding the community was experiencing was unprecedented.
“Highly unusual, something that our crews who have been here for 30 years have never seen before,” Eric Johnston explained.
He noted that the City of Bellingham had been working on climate resiliency plans over two decades, adding some benefits were apparent. However, he noted that “we’re not going to be able to build our way out of these types of weather events,” as climate change continues to add pressure.
The November floods caused billions of dollars in damage on the B.C. side.
-With files from Peter Wagner
