Our Coastal City:  Nanaimo's Sea Level Rise Management Plan (SLRMP)

Sea level rise, caused by climate change, is increasing total ocean water levels over time.   As a coastal city, Nanaimo is at risk from rising sea levels and coastal flooding.  In 2018, the City completed a Sea Level Rise Study, which provided a high level overview of sea level rise risk areas.  The SLRMP will focus on the vulnerable areas identified in the 2018 study (see map below). The technical reports and public engagement will improve the City’s understanding of risks and help identify potential solutions.

The Sea Level Rise Management Plan includes the following tasks:

Phase One (SEPT-2025 to JUL-2026)

Phase One of the Sea Level Rise Management Plan will improve our understanding of coastal risk through a number of technical studies. The technical information along with community and interest holder engagement will aid in the identification of the preferred sea level rise management options.

1. Probabilistic Calculation - This calculates the possibility of multiple factors such as storm surge, wind speed, and king tide, occurring at the same time and impacting coastal flooding. This will help us to understand the likelihood of an extreme event occurring.

2. Inundation Modeling - 2D modeling of waves will be completed to understand how wave conditions impact coastal flooding.

3. Refined Flood Construction Level Mapping -  Based on the results of Steps 1 and 2, a refined coastal flood impact map will be developed to update the previous maps completed in 2018.

4. Economic Risk Assessment - A report detailing the financial implications of rising sea levels to coastal infrastructure and properties will help us understand the economic risk to coastal areas and evaluate management options.

5. Sea Level Rise Options Analysis - This will identify the preferred sea level rise management options and include community and interest holder engagement.

Phase Two (FEB-2026 to SEPT-2026)

Phase Two of the plan will focus on the development of sea level rise management options and develop a method of communicating the strategy to the public.

1. Coastal Erosion Monitoring and Management Strategy - This report will show the extent of coastal erosion, how we can monitor future erosion and strategies to minimize future damage, which will help us understand the rate of coastal erosion and how we can protect ourselves from its impacts

2. Communications Strategy - This strategy will summarize the findings from the Sea Level Rise Management Plan and communicate them in an easy to understand and engaging way.

The project is funded by grants from the British Columbia Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

For more information regarding this project please contact Dave Stewart, Environmental Planner at sustainability@nanaimo.ca

Get Involved

Check out the City's Our Coastal City: Nanaimo's Sea Level Rise Management Plan GetInvolved page for more project information and opportunities to provide input on how we tackle sea level rise in Nanaimo. The next public survey will gather feedback on sea level rise adaptation options, and will be released in April 2026.

https://www.getinvolvednanaimo.ca/sea-level-rise