Flooding in Ontario is escalating. Climate change, together with growing populations, increasing property values and aging urban infrastructure have diminished the capacity of watersheds to cope with storm runoff, exposing growing populations to increased flood risk.

It is clear that storms have become more frequent and powerful. From 2000 to 2005, Ontario experienced ten severe storms that exceeded intensities that are normally expected less than once every 100 years. These storms caused over $360 million in damages.

Low lying areas in urban centres throughout the watershed may be prone to flooding.

What is a 100-Year Flood?

A 100-year flood means that there is a 1 in 100 chance in any given year that water will reach this line elevation or a 1% chance of occurring in any given year.  Depending on the season, floodwater can reach this elevation line more than once per year, though this would be considered a very rare occurrence.

Before buying property, or undertaking any work on your property, we strongly encourage you to contact us, as there are regulations in place in these floodplain areas designed to ensure development is not impacted by flooding problems or aggravate flooding problems upstream or downstream.