By Darrell Stranger

UNBC study warns of future flooding in Fraser River basin

Mar 4, 2019 | 2:24 PM

PRINCE GEORGE- Two UNBC professors, Doctor Stephen Dery and Doctor Siraj ul Islam are at the forefront of a new hydrology study about the Fraser River basin. Their study says that by the end of the century, extreme rainfall events resulting from shorter winters and warmer temperatures caused by global warming may lead to annual floods of historic proportions in the Fraser River basin.

Flooding that we’ve experienced in the past could be more common in the future according to a new study conducted on Canada’s largest Pacific watershed, the Fraser River basin. The professors who did the study expect the basin to transition from one that is snow-dominated to primarily rain dominated by the end of this century.

The projections show a future, warmer climate where the ratio of snow to rain declines and the river flows peak earlier in the year with reduced volume. That means that floods will happen earlier in the year, more frequently and more violently.

The study also suggests that a flood of historic magnitude will change from happening once every 200 years to happening once every 50 years. The two professors say that although it is just a projection, it is one based on current events and that cities should look at their infrastructure in preparations for greater floods down the road.