Canada: Federal floodplain mapping framework

The purpose of this document is to introduce the Federal Floodplain Mapping Guidelines Series documents and to provide a framework for how each fits into the overall floodplain mapping life cycle. Specifically, this document will provide a brief history of past and present floodplain mapping efforts in Canada, a brief summary of floodplain mapping roles and responsibilities and an overview of the contents of the suite of documents that make up the Federal Floodplain Mapping Guidelines Series.

Together, these documents provide details on technical aspects of the following floodplain mapping-related activities:

• Hydrologic and hydraulic investigation;
• Floodplain mapping;
• Risk assessment;
• Determining the effects of climate change on flood modelling;
• LiDAR data acquisition;
• Land use planning.

All documents in the Federal Floodplain Mapping Guidelines Series are intended to be evergreen and to be adapted as new technological and scientific developments emerge.

These guidelines aim to provide advice to provinces and territories, whose responsibility it is to provide technical guidance to implementing bodies, as well as individuals and organizations in Canada that need to understand and manage flood risks and their consequences to communities. They may include emergency management practitioners, flood risk managers, land-use and water resources planners, town planners, hydrologists, hydraulic engineers, geoscientists, geologists, infrastructure providers, water managers, and policy and decision makers, both within and outside of government.