Building on floodplain was a mistake

As Calgarians clean up and recover from one of the worst floods in Alberta’s history, SFU adjunct professor Lionel Jackson isn’t surprised by the disaster’s scale and damage. The natural hazards expert says Calgary made a mistake in the 1970s by allowing development along the floodplain despite studies, which it funded, clearly showing a flood disaster would eventually occur. “There are risks and reports that the floodplain is prone to excessive flooding,” Jackson says. “The flood was well within what we would expect to occur in the Bow Valley based on the record of flooding since the 1870s,” he says.

Lionel Jackson, lionel_jackson@sfu.ca, 604.931.6683 (home)