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Land Use Planning - Statements of Provincial Interest

Statement of Provincial Interest on Flood Risk Areas

GOAL

To protect public safety and property and to reduce the requirement for flood control works and flood damage restoration in floodplains.

BASIS

Floodplains are nature's storage area for flood waters.

New development in a floodplain can increase flood levels and flows thereby increasing the threat to existing upstream and downstream development.

Five floodplains have been identified as Flood Risk Areas under the Canada-Nova Scotia Flood Damage Reduction Program.

APPLICATION

This statement applies to all Flood Risk Areas that are designated under the Canada-Nova Scotia Flood Damage Reduction Program. These are

East River, Pictou County,
Little Sackville River, Halifax County,
Sackville River, Halifax County,
Salmon and North Rivers, Colchester County, and
West and Rights Rivers and Brierly Brook, Antigonish County.

There are other areas in the Province that are subject to flooding which have not been mapped under the Canada-Nova Scotia Flood Damage Reduction Program. In these areas, the limits of potential flooding have not been scientifically determined. However, where local knowledge or information concerning these floodplains is available, planning documents should reflect this information and this statement.

PROVISIONS

1. Planning documents must identify Flood Risk Areas consistent with the Canada- Nova Scotia Flood Damage Reduction Program mapping and any locally known floodplain. 2. For Flood Risk Areas that have been mapped under the Canada-Nova Scotia Flood Damage Reduction Program planning documents must be reasonably consistent with the following: (a) within the Floodway, (i) development must be restricted to uses such as roads, open space uses, utility and service corridors, parking lots and temporary uses, and (ii) the placement of off-site fill must be prohibited; (b) within the Floodway Fringe, (i) development, provided it is floodproofed, may be permitted, except for (1) residential institutions such as hospitals, senior citizen homes, homes for special care and similar facilities where flooding could pose a significant threat to the safety of residents if evacuation became necessary, and (2) any use associated with the warehousing or the production of hazardous materials, (ii) the placement of off-site fill must be limited to that required for floodproofing or flood risk management. 3. Expansion of existing uses must be balanced against risks to human safety, property and increased upstream and downstream flooding. Any expansion in the Floodway must not increase the area of the structure at or below the required floodproof elevation. 396 4. For known floodplains that have not been mapped under the Canada-Nova Scotia Flood Damage Reduction Program, planning documents should be, at a minimum, reasonably consistent with the provisions applicable to the Floodway Fringe. 5. Development contrary to this statement may be permitted provided a hydrotechnical study, carried out by a qualified person, shows that the proposed development will not contribute to upstream or downstream flooding or result in a change to flood water flow patterns.

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