Impact of new flood maps the focus of Calgary town hall meeting

Calgary town hall on flood hazard map changes A town hall meeting will inform Calgarians about recent changes to flood hazard maps. Mason DiPatie has details.

The City of Calgary is hosting an online town hall to explain how new draft flood maps will impact development.

Severe flooding in 2013, the worst in the province's history, sparked the Alberta Government to update its flood hazard mapping.

The accelerated effort updated 600 kilometres of riverway mapping and added 1,000 kilometres of new mapping.

The City of Calgary estimates that 2013's flooding caused $5 billion in damage across southern Alberta.

The city says these new maps are an important tool to understand flood risks.

With the new maps and zone designations, the city is looking to update its land use and development regulations.

It is hosting an online information session Tuesday night to discuss what the new maps mean for communities and properties within the flood hazard zone.

Topics set to be discussed include land use and development regulations in flood hazard areas, what new mapping means for current development reviews and the next steps for updating floodplain policies and regulations.

In the city, there are set rules for buildings and structures built in the floodway. For example, if you are replacing a single-family home or semi-detached home in the zone, the new structure must have the same footprint.

If you are building in flood fringe and overland flow areas, the construction must be designed to prevent structural damage by floodwaters.

Tuesday’s meeting runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

People can sign up ahead of time online.