International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management

CASE STUDY:

Deltaport East Causeway Barrier Island Features (British Columbia, Canada) Deltaport East Causeway is on the west shore of the Fraser River delta (Figure 11.6) and is the road and rail link connecting the Port of Vancouver’s largest container terminal to mainland British Columbia, Canada. In 2010, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority constructed habitat features along the shore of the causeway as a condition of the Fisheries Act authorization for a port expansion. The features were integrated with the causeway shore protection structures that provide FRM functions to this critical transportation corridor. Post-construction, compliance monitoring of physical and biological metrics indicated that wave and wind exposure was inhibiting habitat function. Performance deficiencies were primarily related to salt marsh productivity and retention of sediment. Figure 11.6. Location of Deltaport Causeway Site

Richmond

N

Surrey

STR A IT OF G EORG IA

Delta Westham Island

Deltaport Causeway

Canada Point Roberts

United States

In 2016, a remedial concept was developed to address these performance deficiencies. Several barrier beach and back-beach marsh features were constructed, making use of on-site materials, to create and enhance habitat. The barrier islands now provide FRM functions for sections of the causeway where rock armoring is not present.

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International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management

Published on Sep 16, 2021

US Army Engineer Research and Development Center

International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management (NNBF Guidelines) is the product of a large-scale collaboration that included 5 years of working-level meetings and knowledge sharing involving key practice leaders from around the world. The project was initiated and led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as a part of its Engineering With Nature Initiative. USACE in the United States, the Rijkswaterstaat Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands, and the Environment Agency in the United Kingdom were the three primary government institutions that organized and led the effort. Many other organizations also provided critical leadership and participation, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, World Bank, National Institute of Standards and Technology, The Nature Conservancy, and the World Wildlife Fund.