Loggers Lane may be in line for a lift, literally.
Earlier this month, consultants Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL) presented a flood management report to council. With sea levels anticipated to rise one metre by 2100, the single most important flood protection consideration for downtown and the Squamish Oceanfront is the alignment of the future sea dike, the report stated.
Building on the existing dike presents challenges, KWL engineer David Roche told council on July 16. The foreshore isn't stable and there are potentially environmental impacts. As a result, B.C.'s provincial inspector of dikes encouraged municipal officials to explore a setback dike alignment along Loggers Lane.
The road would need to be raised by up to three metres. That would force future development along the Mamquam Blind Channel to be built outside of the dike structure, leaving the waterfront lots open as public park.
While the idea would be less costly than beefing up the existing dike, it poses a slew of challenges for current and future development along the waterway, Roche noted.
Whatever alignment municipal officials decide to go with, staff must consider the potential for an upstream dike breach along the Squamish and Mamquam rivers, Roche said. In such an incident a continuous sea dike would capture and hold the water within the downtown peninsula, he noted.
Making sure the dike alignment is on the forefront of the municipality's agenda is not just about protecting downtown business but also the district's infrastructure, Coun. Patricia Heintzman said.
"It is hundreds of millions of dollars and we need to protect it," she said.
Council voted to push forward the date to revamp its 19-year-old flood hazard management plan, using funds from Gas Tax Revenue.
