The
project is focused on the GVRD (Figure1). It is located on the southern fringe of the coastal mountains in the
southwest corner of British Columbia. The area is screened from the open Pacific
Ocean to the west by the mountains of Vancouver Island that typically reach
over 2,000 m. The Olympia Peninsula southwest of the GVRD, also provides screening
with terrains that are typically as high as 2,400 m. The GVRD encompasses 2821
km2 of land (GVRD, 2003). However, the study area for this project covers a
total area of approximately 4335 km2.
One of the largest river systems in British Columbia, the Fraser River, enters
into the ocean in this region. As a result, it has a significant role in shaping
the topography of the GVRD. The terrain of the GVRD is comprised of a relatively
wide band of low elevation, flat land that is the lower Fraser Valley region
in the south and the Coastal Mountains (referred to as the Northshore Mountains)
to the north. Figure2
provides a general overview of the terrain of the GVRD area. The low lying flat
lands of the lower Fraser Valley normally have an elevation of approximately
50 to 100 m. However, there are a number of hills that are as high as 300 m.
The Northshore Mountains typically rise up to approximately 1,200 m with several
peaks reaching over 1,700 m. There are also a number of valleys in a northeast
direction truncating the ridges.
