South Delta beachfront communities escape storm but not out of woods yet
High tides expected in mid-December could pose another flood threat
Sandbags have been piled on top of seawalls to keep rising water at bay.
Photograph by: Gord Goble , Delta Optimist
With the fall storm season in full swing, Delta is taking precautions while also keeping an eye on the weather forecast.
Delta issued a storm warning last Friday as high tides coupled with strong winds posed a flooding threat for Beach Grove and Boundary Bay.
Engineering director Steven Lan said Monday the areas escaped any flooding over the weekend, however, the alert remained in effect until today.
"We've been keeping an eye on things," Lan said, adding that staff members have been out in Beach Grove and Boundary Bay before and after each high tide.
Lan said the temporary berms have been constructed, beach accesses have been closed, and sandbags and sand are available at several locations for residents.
A temporary berm has once again been constructed in the 200-block of Centennial Parkway where no seawall exists. That work has been carried out annually for the last 15 years.
In a report to Delta council this week, Lan stated the flood risk to Boundary Bay and Beach Grove might be greatest in mid-December when there's a five-day window of predicted high tides.
The greatest danger for the flood-prone communities is the so-called perfect storm of high tides and winds, something that resulted in major flooding in Boundary Bay in 2006.
An average number of winter storms are expected this year based on historical storm climatology, however, storm intensity and trajectory are difficult to predict, Lan said.
Civic staff will monitor peak tides, predicted storm surges and weather forecasts throughout the winter months to watch out for potentially high-risk storms.
