As climate change worries grow, St. John's plans for future big storms

Darrell Roberts · CBC News

· Posted: May 14, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

A caller report indicates accrued hazard of flooding successful immoderate parts of St. John's, much utmost upwind events and clime alteration concerns grow.

The report, conducted by Stantec Consulting Ltd., looked astatine the hazard for flooding successful 7 areas crossed the city, the largest being the Virginia River successful the eastbound end.

Tracey-Lynn Goosney, the city's manager of improvement engineering, said clime alteration needs to beryllium factored into readying for caller infrastructure similar bridges, residential subdivisions and different development.

"These things are going to beryllium astir for a agelong time," she said successful an interrogation with CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. "We request to marque definite that they're capable to withstand these changes."

The study uses clime modelling to foretell however clime alteration volition impact flooding events that statistically could hap each 20 oregon 100 years.

According to the report, a once-in-a-century tempest could origin 23 structures, similar bridges and culverts to overflow successful six of the studied areas. 

"[The city] didn't ever usage these higher flows, these clime alteration flows, for design," Goosney explained.

Now, Goosney said, infrastructure is designed with aboriginal utmost upwind events successful mind.

"Public works and engineering volition usage … this accusation to marque decisions connected what infrastructure needs to beryllium upgraded and when," she said.

She said the metropolis has antecedently done flood hazard mapping successful large areas similar the Waterford River and Rennie's River, some of which person flooded during erstwhile storms.

Goosney besides said the survey besides looks astatine flooding scenarios nether the existent clime conditions to assistance pass exigency planning.

According to a metropolis assembly determination note, the metropolis volition usage the report to pass its improvement regulations.

Goosney said immoderate of the areas successful this latest survey person progressive improvement applications oregon developer interest.

"It's important that we get these maps, these boundaries, truthful that we person close accusation for developers," she said.

City assembly approved the study astatine a committee of the full gathering connected Tuesday.

Download our free CBC News app to motion up for propulsion alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to sojourn our landing page.