“I understand that most of Richmond is below sea level. Where are the highest and lowest elevations?”
— Robert Demorest
The first part of this question is actually an urban myth. In fact, most of Richmond is above sea level. On average, we are approximately one metre above mean (average) sea level. That said, water levels surrounding us can be affected by many factors, from high tides to spring runoff and extreme rainfall, so we still need our dyke network to protect us from potential flooding when those things occur (particularly if they all occurred at the same time).
Lowest spots would be some agricultural areas such as southern parts of No. 6 Road and Sidaway at slightly below one metre. Many redeveloped areas, such as Terra Nova and Alexandra in West Cambie, are at two metres or higher. Port Metro’s Richmond Properties (at the south end of Nelson and No. 8 roads) and new Middle Arm frontages are at four metres or higher.
The highest spot would be Ecowaste (at Triangle Road at the south end of No. 6 Road) which has areas higher than 10 metres. Both the port properties and Ecowaste are former or current landfill sites, which is why they are higher than other properties.
All new developments are now effectively required to be built higher than pre-existing levels, particularly along waterfront.
—John Irving, City of Richmond, Engineering,
Ted Townsend, City of Richmond, Communicaitions
Every week the Richmond News will post a reader’s question and find an expert in the community to provide the answer. If you have a trivia question about Richmond email us at [email protected]. Be sure to write “Question of the Week” in the subject line.
