Locarno Beach lined with sandbags to prepare for possible ‘King Tides’

On a sunny autumn day at Vancouver’s Locarno Beach, 45 city workers were preparing today for less idyllic weather.

“What we are preparing for here is the possibility of King Tides coinciding with severe weather and that can bring a storm surge that adds to the effect of King Tides and raises the water high enough to potentially flood the area we are standing,” said Brian Crowe of the City of Vancouver.

“King Tide” is a term that refers to unusually high waters that tend to happen in winter when the earth, moon, and the sun align just so. The city lined the beach with sandbags Monday morning to protect the area from ultra-high tides, but said there is a “fair likelihood” they won’t be needed.

“On November 14th we get a high tide cycle that starts and it goes all the way to the end of month. Of course, it’s only once a day when the high tide occurs. The highest predicted tides in November are on the 28th and 29th,” Crowe said.

Approximately 30,000 sandbags were filled and stacked on a 200-metre stretch of Locarno Beach, the same place where King Tides, combined with storm surges, have flooded the park before.

“In 2012, the water level reached about five-and-a-half metres. These sandbags are above that,” Crowe said.

The goal is to keep any potential rising waters from creeping across the road and into people’s homes.

“This is something that is an ongoing issue for the city especially as we see the gradual impacts of climate change, so in the long term we’re going to need a permanent solution in locations like this,” Crowe said.

So instead of spending $50,000 a year on this kind of short-term solution, the City might be looking at raising sidewalks, roads and more.

“Parks is even looking at long-term plans for how whole park areas can be raised and re-landscaped incrementally over the decades as we deal with higher water levels.”

-With files from Linda Aylesworth