FLOODPLAIN REGULATION UPDATE

OVERVIEW

In February of 2021, the Town of Osoyoos was successful in obtaining funding from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Community Emergency Preparedness Fund — under the Flood Risk Assessment, Flood Mapping & Flood Mitigation Planning stream (2021) — for, amongst other things, the purposes of preparing a flood mitigation plan.

TRUE Consulting Limited was subsequently retained by the Town and prepared a Flood Mitigation Plan (2022), which identified a number of priority projects and strategies that could be implemented by the Town (see Table 6-4 in the Plan), including the following as “High” priorities in relation to the Town’s land use bylaws:

• Update the Town’s OCP land use policy statements and maps defining the updated 200-year active floodplain and wave action area; and
• Develop a local government floodplain bylaw to include revised floodplain setbacks, wave action measures, flood construction levels and floodproofing requirements.

At its meeting of April 11, 2023, Council’s Committee of the Whole (COTW) received a presentation from TRUE Consulting regarding the Flood Mitigation Plan (2022).

Council was advised that this Plan incorporated data from the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s Okanagan Mainstem Floodplain Mapping (2020) project, including the impact of new “wave analysis” (e.g. potential “wave runup heights at shore”).

PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGES

At its meeting of October 14, 2025, Council considered specific land use bylaw amendment options recommended by the Flood Mitigation Plan (2022) and directed that the following amendments be initiated (all of which are linked further below):

• amend the Town’s Official Community Plan (OCP) Bylaw in order to update the Floodplain Management Policies contained at Section 7.I.2.2 (see Draft Amendment Bylaw No. 1375.10;

• amend the Town’s Zoning Bylaw in order to:

  - increase the flood construction level for Osoyoos Lake from 280.70 metres Geodetic Survey of Canada (GSC) datum to 280.8 metres GSC datum at Section 9.0 (Floodplain Regulations) of the bylaw; and

  - update Schedule ‘3’ (Floodplain Maps) of the bylaw.

• amend the Town’s Land Use Procedures Bylaw in order to introduce application requirements for floodplain exemption applications submitted to the Town in accordance with Section 524(7) of the Local Government Act.

BYLAW STATUS

For more information please contact the Planning and Development Services Department: 
plan@osoyoos.ca