CDF

Community Development Forum corresponds with Ministry of Transport on stormwater management

October 17, 2022 | by

On 22 September 2022, the Community Development Forum (CDF) wrote to Elena Farmer, District Manager for the Lower Mainland, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI).

On 11 October 2022, MoTI responded.

On 17 October 2022, the CDF followed up with additional requests.

On 9 November 2022, MLA Nicholas Simons forwarded links to MoTI design standards for stormwater management which include the “accommodation for climate change”.

Scroll down to see the text of each message.

CDF Email – 22 September 2022

Copied to MoTI Regional Director, Operations Manager & Sunshine Coast Area Manager; Provincial Approving Officer (for  subdivisions) for Lower Mainland; SCRD Area Director Lori Pratt, SCRD Board, & SCRD General Manager for Planning; and forwarded to Nicholas Simons, MLA.

Subject: Requesting MoTI assurance regarding sufficient stormwater management re: DL2733 in Halfmoon Bay

Dear Ms. Farmer, I am writing on behalf of the Community Development Forum, Halfmoon Bay to request your assurance that stormwater management related to the clearing and new subdivision of DL2733 (Block B), which is upslope from Redrooffs Road in Halfmoon Bay, complies with all legal requirements. A significant number of trees have been cleared from this steep 27 acre lot during the summer of 2022 and there is mounting concern among Halfmoon Bay residents regarding implications
for our infrastructure over the coming winter.

Your Ministry will recall that a large portion of Redrooffs Road was washed away on November 16, 2021 during the atmospheric river event. This main arterial road was impassable to residents until emergency repairs were completed on November 22. It was again closed on November 28 due to further heavy rainfall. The extensive rebuilding, resurfacing and drainage repairs were undertaken at considerable cost to taxpayers. Learning from the significant damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure done by compounding extreme weather events in 2021, we are relying on your Ministry to ensure (1) that legal requirements for stormwater management take into account forecasted extreme weather events and risks and (2) a high level of coordination and oversight of these requirements related to land alterations and subdivision applications, particularly when these are upslope.

We raise the importance of maximum coordination with the SCRD given that they are considering updated tools related to stormwater management requirements for our region. I have copied the SCRD on this email to flag that members of the community are requesting the SCRD to prioritize this on their work plan. As construction on DL2733 and other large developments takes place, the SCRD also has a critical role to play in stipulating and monitoring adherence to stormwater management/drainage requirements.

Ms. Farmer, I look forward to your response and assurance that MoTI is enforcing requirements, and that these are being adjusted as necessary in view of the risks, liabilities and recent impacts of extreme weather events.

Sincerely,
Barbara Bolding, Deputy Chair
Community Development Forum, Halfmoon Bay

MoTI Response – October 11, 2022

On October 11th, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure replied to the request with the following response:

Dear Barbara Bolding,

As you have noted, there is an application for subdivision for DL2733 currently with the ministry and is still under review.  As part of the conditions for subdivision approval, the applicant is required to provide a stormwater management plan.  This plan will be review by the appropriate engineers to ensure compliance with our design standards, which includes an accommodation for climate change.  I can assure you that ministry staff will not recommend subdivision approval to the Provincial Approving Officer if this requirement is not met.

Thank you for taking the time to write.

Sincerely,

Michael Braun,
Operations Manager for Howe Sound and Sunshine Coast,
BC Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure

CDF Follow Up – October 17, 2022

On October 17th, the CDF replied to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure with the following response:

Dear Michael Braun,

Thank you for your response – it is appreciated, and we have shared it with concerned residents.  Issues related to subdivision approval regularly cause community anxiety, especially in terms of public infrastructure and neighborhood impacts.  In addition, there is some frustration around getting specific and timely information from MoTI.

In view of this, we have two follow-up requests to help the community stay informed and facilitate communication with MoTI.  Can you please:

  1. share the MoTI design standards for stormwater management which include the “accommodation for climate change” (we are unable to find these on the MoTI website, noting that many of the materials cited there are general and out of date); and
  2. advise how the public can access information about the status and details of a specific subdivision application, as well as the final approval document. Using the example of DL2733, rather than emailing MoTI staff for this information, can we access it online? If not, can you please advise who we contact and how to reach them.

We appreciate your guidance on the above as our intent is not to hassle MoTI but rather to work together for the well-being of our community.

We are also copying our MLA and incoming Area B Director on this exchange.  As development in the rural areas of the Sunshine Coast picks up and we see the impact of more extreme weather events, we also see the need for more transparent and rigorous standards, oversight and enforcement.

Best regards,
Barbara Bolding, on behalf of the Community Development Forum, Halfmoon Bay

No response yet from MoTI – November 9, 2022

…but a follow-up request to MLA Nicholas Simons got us the following links:

  • Resilient Infrastructure Engineering Design – Adaptation to the Impacts of Climate Change and Weather Extremes (March 2019, 8 pp) This directive pertains to transportation infrastructure engineering design work by BCMOTI staff and consultants and others working on projects for BCMOTI. Many parameters, such as type, location, traffic volume, and design life of transportation infrastructure will determine the scope and scale of climate change related analysis required.

     

  •  BC Supplement to TAC Chapter 1000 (April 2019, 62pp) This chapter has been prepared as a guide to the acceptable procedures and methods used in the development of hydrotechnical design plans for the design, construction and maintenance of British Columbia highways. It is intended for use by personnel competent to evaluate the significance and limitations of its content and recommendations, and who will accept responsibility for the application of the material it contains.