The Government of Yukon has released flood hazard maps that cover Morley Bay, the Village of Teslin, Deadman Creek, Brook's Brook and Johnson's Crossing. These maps provide critical flood information to help the public and all levels of government better adapt to climate change, reduce flood risk and make informed decisions. They are part of a series planned for all 14 flood-prone communities, as committed to in the Our Clean Future climate strategy. Developed through detailed surveying, modelling and public input, these maps show how different flooding scenarios could impact surrounding areas.
The flood hazard mapping study for the Teslin area began in May 2023, with public engagement held between June 11 and July 5, 2024. Local knowledge was gathered and applied to the study to validate modelling results. A What We Heard report, summarizing the public input on the draft flood hazard maps for areas of interest along Teslin Lake in the Traditional Territory of the Teslin Tlingit Council (TTC) is now available on Yukon.ca.
Yukoners who participated in the engagement discussed the impacts of groundwater, flooding on local infrastructure and housing, how maps will be used and options to reduce flooding impacts and emergency response and community support. Municipal and First Nations governments emphasized the need for user-friendly maps, better understanding of water quality impacts from flooding and how the maps could influence future land-use planning. The feedback received helped validate the results and informed refinements to how information is presented on the maps.
The next flood hazard maps will be developed for Old Crow, Dawson and the Klondike Valley. They are expected to be released in 2025.
Our government continues to prioritize the production of high-quality flood mapping for communities at risk of flooding in the Yukon. These efforts will increase our understanding of flooding in the territory, allowing us to continue to build safer, more resilient communities. We thank community members of Teslin for providing their comments during the engagement period. Their feedback and knowledge were key in finalizing these flood maps.
These mapping studies are useful for designing flood-mitigation measures and assisting with emergency preparation. These valuable tools will inform future development in the community. Our thanks to everyone involved in their creation and to the community members who helped in this process.
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Flood hazard maps are created by engineers and guide land use planning, development of regulations and flood mitigation measures such as floodwalls, levees and wetland restoration.
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Flood hazard maps for all 14 communities at-risk of flooding are expected to be completed by 2028. The next communities that flood hazard maps will be developed for are Old Crow, Dawson and the Klondike Valley.
Laura Seeley
Cabinet Communications
867-332-7627
[email protected]
Mara De La Rosa
Environment Communications
867-456-5565
[email protected]