The Bathtub
The Future…
As the decades drift by, the government takes a reactionary approach to sea level adaptation. Day to day life does not change… until in 2050, it suddenly does. A storm surge drives water over the failing dikes; flood waters quickly submerging crops and roads. People living in low-lying areas rush to escape their suddenly waterlogged homes; farmers frantically attempt to relocate their livestock to high ground. Soon, infrastructure is swallowed by the murky waters - power fails in multiple areas; other areas become electrified by a short-circuiting power grid. Wastewater plants dump contaminated water into the flood waters, leading to unprecedented levels of pollution being carried across the landscape and into waterbodies.
11:00am, Monday April 25th, 2050.
ANNACIS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, DELTA:
Two days after the storm, emergency crews continue rescue and protection efforts throughout the region. Special attention is paid to fortifying protections around important services and infrastructures, such as the region’s wastewater treatment plants, all of which have been affected by the flooding. Here, the floodwaters threaten to breach the Annacis Wastewater Treatment Plant, which processes approximately 480 million litres of wastewater per day.* Flooding of the plant itself would cause the release of millions of litres of raw sewage into the surrounding waters, contaminating already delicate ecosystems and creating a massive public health catastrophe.
*2019 capacity, metrovancouver.org
2:00pm, Friday April 29th, 2050.
SECOND BEACH, VANCOUVER:
As the region prioritized the protection of fundamental services and infrastructures from flooding, many residential, commercial, recreational and ecological areas were left to defend for themselves. With no permanent protection installed along the seawall, the Park Board deployed sandbags to protect recreational areas and infrastructures. This temporary fortification provided some protection against the rising water, but did little in the face of the violent storm of April 23rd, 2050. Now a handful of days post-storm, the storm-surge induced flooding has receded and clean up crews continue to clear debris along all 8.8 km of the Stanley Park Seawall. The storm has damaged many trees within the Park, clearing an 8-hectare area to the North of Second Beach, and closing many interior trails of the Park as well as large sections of the Seawall. Closures disrupt the average 12 million* annual visitors to the Park, as well as hinder costly clean up and repair efforts.
*estimated for 2050 based on 2019 average visitors, Tourism Vancouver
This scenario explores the implications of a reactive and protective approach to flood events across the region. The reactive approach focuses relatively less planning towards safeguarding against threats from sea level rise and opts instead to allocate resources to recovery. The protective mentality seeks to retain as much current land use and occupation as possible, in spite of dramatic changes caused by flooding.
We want to hear from you!
Our team has identified 4 main approaches that our region can take in response to 2050 flood levels: The Bathtub, The Wall, Waterworld, and The Archipelago. We would greatly appreciate your feedback and reactions to these scenarios.
