Alberta Environment and Parks retained Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd. in April 2019 to complete a flood hazard study for the Peace River at Fort Vermilion, Alberta. The study area consists of a 28 km long reach of the Peace River through Mackenzie County, including the hamlet of Fort Vermilion and the settlement of North Vermilion. This study was facilitated under the Flood Hazard Identification Program (FHIP) with the intent to enhance public safety and reduce future flood damages within the Province of Alberta. Results from this study are intended to inform local land use planning decisions, flood mitigation projects, and emergency response planning.

The main project tasks encompass: survey and base data collection, open water hydrology assessment, open water hydraulic modelling, open water flood inundation mapping, ice jam modelling, ice jam flood inundation mapping, and design flood hazard identification and mapping.

LiDAR data and bathymetric surveys were obtained in the summer of 2019 to provide detailed terrain data in support of the analysis and mapping. A HEC-RAS numerical model was developed for open-water and ice-related flooding. Additional ice-modelling was completed using statistical methods. As is standard for Alberta Environment and Parks, floodway and flood fringe zones were delineated on the mapping. The mapping will guide future development along the

river and provide input during flood emergency response.