Hatzic Flood Stewardship

Project Overview

Flood governance in the Hatzic Watershed is undergoing a review. The 2021 Atmospheric River Event emphasized the urgent need for more coordinated flood management, especially as flooding in the Hatzic Valley becomes more frequent and severe.

In response to this need, the Hatzic Watershed Stewardship Team is working together to imagine a new partnership model that could address flood management and the provision of flood services.

Over the past few years, the Hatzic Watershed Stewardship Team has included individuals from Fraser Valley Regional District, Leq’a:mel First Nation, Dewdney Area Improvement District, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Transportation and Transit, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, and Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. The group has been working together to put forward recommendations to the Province on a potential flood governance model and service-delivery function.

Hatzic Flood Governance Today

The Dewdney Area Improvement District (DAID) has long served as the diking authority for the Hatzic Valley, managing lake levels, the pump stations, and other essential flood protection infrastructure.

Through recent years — including the 2021 Atmospheric River — DAID has felt the strain of managing flood challenges on its own. The funds raised through local flood taxes are not enough to keep up with maintenance or prepare for larger future events. While a single agency can design and deliver a limited flood service, effective flood management requires many parties working together in an organized and formalized way.

In the Hatzic Valley, the partial involvement of multiple agencies has made coordination challenging, leading to delays, service gaps, and inconsistent responses across the watershed.

The current partnership model isn’t functioning at a scale that meets local, regional, or provincial goals. DAID and the Hatzic Watershed Stewardship Team see greater opportunity in working collaboratively across the watershed — sharing responsibilities, building partnerships, and securing the resources needed to better protect the valley together.

If we want more local solutions, we need local, collaborative leadership.

The Team is working to imagine a partnership model that could:

Secure funding from local, provincial, and federal sources.
Develop flood management systems and infrastructure that make the Valley more resilient in the short, medium, and long term.
Maintain clear communication among all partners.
Create effective maintenance plans.
Promote sustainable practices throughout the watershed.
Align agencies and governments to focus efforts and contribute their unique strengths.

Why are we doing this work now?

The Current Approach is outdated: DAID has been managing flood infrastructure in the Hatzic Valley since the 1960s. Because of funding restraints, a lack of capacity, and more severe/frequent flooding, this approach no longer works. Many issues are also outside of DAID’s scope alone (i.e., upper watershed).
Recovery funds are running out: The funding from the 2021 Atmospheric River is almost gone, and it’s getting harder to access new grants. To improve our chances of getting future funding, we need a strong, well-organized system with clear goals and priorities.
Indigenous knowledge must be centered: For decades, flood planning in this area has happened without input from local First Nations. Moving forward, it’s essential that Indigenous leadership and their deep knowledge of the land are included.
The Hatzic Lake Management Plan has been tricky to put into action: No one group has had the power or resources to fully carry out the recommendations in this management plan. To move forward, we need to work together and take a united approach to implement the plan.
We need to plan beyond the Lake: Most of the planning has focused just on Hatzic Lake, but to really reduce flood risks and impacts, we need to look at the entire watershed—upstream and downstream—and deal with problems at their source and where they are more manageable.

What options are the Hatzic Watershed Stewardship Team considering?

Option	Potential Benefits	Potential Drawbacks
Option 1: Keep the Dewdney Area Improvement District operating as it does today, with the same funding methods and responsibilities for flood protection.	Requires the lowest level of effort to maintain No changes to taxes or fees Familiar and well-understood by residents and landowners	Limited resources make it hard to meet maintenance, coordination, and service expectations Narrow scope limits the ability to address watershed-wide flood risks Does not incorporate Leq’á:mel First Nation knowledge and expertise Lacks access to stable regional funding Least likely to meaningfully reduce flooding risk
Option 2: Transfer DAID’s assets, responsibilities, and funding to the Fraser Valley Regional District through a provincially approved process.	Access to FVRD professional staff, engineering expertise, and stronger administrative systems Better integration with land use, development, and communications Greater eligibility for grant funding to support future upgrades	Does not address flooding at the full watershed scale Does not incorporate Leq’á:mel First Nation knowledge and expertise Flood causes and impacts may remain fragmented across jurisdictions
Option 3: Convert DAID to a Fraser Valley Regional District service and add a second, watershed-wide service area – with partners - to cover the full Hatzic Watershed.	Enables early risk identification and proactive flood planning across the whole watershed Strengthens coordination with Leq’á:mel First Nation’s Guardians Program and the City of Mission Improves monitoring, data sharing, and access to grant funding Supports long-term planning and ecosystem restoration Creates opportunities for shared funding and regional advocacy	Requires high levels of coordination across multiple jurisdictions and agencies Shared governance structure would be complicated and time-intensive to establish Would introduce changes to taxation and/or fees, including a watershed-wide levy

We’re seeking your thoughts on all three options — how they might work, and what matters most to you. You’ll see more detail on Option 3 because it’s newer and different, and it has been the main focus of recent Hatzic Watershed Stewardship Team’s engagement. All options are on the table. For more details on the options being proposed, download the Project Overview Package and Open House Boards, or through the Related Documents tab.

Get Involved

This information is being shared for discussion and engagement purposes. We want to know your thoughts on all three options.

There are two opportunities to provide your feedback:

Join us for an informal, drop-in open house to learn about the options being considered. Project team members will be available throughout the evening to answer questions, listen to your ideas, and hear what matters most to you. There will be no formal presentation or scheduled remarks—come by Dewdney Elementary February 5^th 2026, from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
Leave a comment or question on this webpage.

Project Overview

In response to this need, the Hatzic Watershed Stewardship Team is working together to imagine a new partnership model that could address flood management and the provision of flood services.

Hatzic Flood Governance Today

In the Hatzic Valley, the partial involvement of multiple agencies has made coordination challenging, leading to delays, service gaps, and inconsistent responses across the watershed.

If we want more local solutions, we need local, collaborative leadership.

The Team is working to imagine a partnership model that could:

Secure funding from local, provincial, and federal sources.
Develop flood management systems and infrastructure that make the Valley more resilient in the short, medium, and long term.
Maintain clear communication among all partners.
Create effective maintenance plans.
Promote sustainable practices throughout the watershed.
Align agencies and governments to focus efforts and contribute their unique strengths.

Why are we doing this work now?

The Current Approach is outdated: DAID has been managing flood infrastructure in the Hatzic Valley since the 1960s. Because of funding restraints, a lack of capacity, and more severe/frequent flooding, this approach no longer works. Many issues are also outside of DAID’s scope alone (i.e., upper watershed).
Recovery funds are running out: The funding from the 2021 Atmospheric River is almost gone, and it’s getting harder to access new grants. To improve our chances of getting future funding, we need a strong, well-organized system with clear goals and priorities.
Indigenous knowledge must be centered: For decades, flood planning in this area has happened without input from local First Nations. Moving forward, it’s essential that Indigenous leadership and their deep knowledge of the land are included.
The Hatzic Lake Management Plan has been tricky to put into action: No one group has had the power or resources to fully carry out the recommendations in this management plan. To move forward, we need to work together and take a united approach to implement the plan.
We need to plan beyond the Lake: Most of the planning has focused just on Hatzic Lake, but to really reduce flood risks and impacts, we need to look at the entire watershed—upstream and downstream—and deal with problems at their source and where they are more manageable.

What options are the Hatzic Watershed Stewardship Team considering?

Option	Potential Benefits	Potential Drawbacks
Option 1: Keep the Dewdney Area Improvement District operating as it does today, with the same funding methods and responsibilities for flood protection.	Requires the lowest level of effort to maintain No changes to taxes or fees Familiar and well-understood by residents and landowners	Limited resources make it hard to meet maintenance, coordination, and service expectations Narrow scope limits the ability to address watershed-wide flood risks Does not incorporate Leq’á:mel First Nation knowledge and expertise Lacks access to stable regional funding Least likely to meaningfully reduce flooding risk
Option 2: Transfer DAID’s assets, responsibilities, and funding to the Fraser Valley Regional District through a provincially approved process.	Access to FVRD professional staff, engineering expertise, and stronger administrative systems Better integration with land use, development, and communications Greater eligibility for grant funding to support future upgrades	Does not address flooding at the full watershed scale Does not incorporate Leq’á:mel First Nation knowledge and expertise Flood causes and impacts may remain fragmented across jurisdictions
Option 3: Convert DAID to a Fraser Valley Regional District service and add a second, watershed-wide service area – with partners - to cover the full Hatzic Watershed.	Enables early risk identification and proactive flood planning across the whole watershed Strengthens coordination with Leq’á:mel First Nation’s Guardians Program and the City of Mission Improves monitoring, data sharing, and access to grant funding Supports long-term planning and ecosystem restoration Creates opportunities for shared funding and regional advocacy	Requires high levels of coordination across multiple jurisdictions and agencies Shared governance structure would be complicated and time-intensive to establish Would introduce changes to taxation and/or fees, including a watershed-wide levy

Get Involved

This information is being shared for discussion and engagement purposes. We want to know your thoughts on all three options.

There are two opportunities to provide your feedback:

Join us for an informal, drop-in open house to learn about the options being considered. Project team members will be available throughout the evening to answer questions, listen to your ideas, and hear what matters most to you. There will be no formal presentation or scheduled remarks—come by Dewdney Elementary February 5^th 2026, from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
Leave a comment or question on this webpage.

Guestbook

Leave Your Comments

We're seeking your thoughts on all three options - how they might work, and what matters most to you.

I'm the FVRD Area Director for Area F, and have been involved with the HWST talks for two and a half years now. Unfortunately much of the content on this topic, both on this website and on the Open Forum boards, is misleading or inaccurate. I've sent out a couple of detailed emails to my distribution list unpacking the content and providing clarification as best I can - feel free to email me hdavidson@fvrd.ca if you want a copy.

Hugh Davidson 3 days ago

One of the reasons mentioned for this effort is cited here as "more severe/frequent flooding". Subsequent to the 2021 atmospheric river, we have observed significant local logging efforts within the Hatzic watershed. Our property is located near and below the new cut block at the end Eng street. We have never seen as much water overflowing the culverts and ditches adjacent to our property, and even crossing the roads, as we have one year since the cut block was created.

Additionally, until the low valley farmland, in what are really wetlands, ceases to be backfilled with soil and rock, there shall be less space for water to flow and be reabsorbed into the soil. Why not just buy-back some of this land to become a wetland-wildlife refuge, like it once was?

Jeff 10 days ago

Option 1. Residents who do not live in a flood space should not have to pay for or subsidize those that regularly flood.

Ward 11 days ago

Page last updated: 25 Jan 2026, 04:19 AM

Hatzic Flood Stewardship

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Phase 1

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