K'ómoks Estuary North Area Flood Resilience Strategy

Client:

Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD), in partnership with K’ómoks First Nation

Timing:

May 2023 to April 2026

Location:

K’ómoks Estuary North Area, spanning Electoral Area B and K’ómoks First Nation IR#1, Comox Valley, BC

Their challenge

Phase 2 of the CVRD’s Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy had flagged Comox Road as one of four priority areas for place-based adaptation work. But the K’ómoks Estuary North Area was never just a road problem. Flood risk here is shaped by interconnected coastal, riverine, and upland drainage systems, transportation access, agriculture, sewer infrastructure, and ecological and cultural values — crossing the boundaries of the CVRD, K’ómoks First Nation, the City of Courtenay, and the Town of Comox all at once. No single jurisdiction could resolve it alone, and no single engineered fix would either.

Our solution

Ebbwater, with collaborator HeronBridge Consulting, led the project through two linked stages. The first built a regional collaborative framework with K’ómoks First Nation, the CVRD, Comox Valley Emergency Management, the City of Courtenay, the Town of Comox, and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit — establishing shared principles and clarifying roles before any technical options were on the table. The second applied that framework through a structured decision process, expanding participation to elected officials, farmers, agrologists, and environmental organizations, and testing three broad approaches — reinforce the road, adapt to periodic flooding, and make room for water — before landing on a preferred direction that draws from all three.

Indigenous witnessing, championed by the CVRD, was woven through the process to support accountability and course correction, helping keep the work grounded in relationship and place rather than technical output alone. The resulting strategy pivoted from a narrow, road-focused fix to a broader estuary-wide approach, organized into three sub-areas — agricultural and slough lands, mixed-use areas, and K’ómoks First Nation IR#1 — each with its own tailored mix of tools: road management, ecological restoration, agricultural adaptation, floodproofing, and cultural site protection, sequenced through ten enabling actions rather than delivered as one capital project.

Beyond the technical report, Phase 3 produced a collaborative framework, artwork by Pam Mitchell, and video storytelling, culminating in a wrap-up event with elected officials, staff, and project partners. The approach was subsequently presented at the 2026 Planning Institute of British Columbia and Canadian Institute of Planners conferences as a model for regional collaboration and reconciliation-informed climate adaptation — and helped position the CVRD and K’ómoks First Nation to secure Disaster Resilience and Innovation Fund support for the related Pélxqikw/Goose Spit Climate Resiliency Project. This project was also awarded a Climate & Energy Action Award at UBCM in 2026.

The Ebbwater and HeronBridge team have provided exceptional support to the CVRD as we navigate the complexity of coastal flood adaptation across the region. Their technical expertise, innovative approach, and thoughtful stakeholder engagement have helped build a shared understanding of coastal flood risk and practical pathways for adaptation. They have been particularly effective at building relationships across neighboring jurisdictions such as K’ómoks First Nation, facilitating challenging conversations and developing practical tools that integrate qualitative community perspectives with quantitative technical information.

– Robyn Holme
Long Range Planner, CVRD