Friday, December 7, 2012

Dykes or Dikes

Many would not know that Richmond, BC is about 1 meter above sea level and is protected by a Dyke system


The rocks are placed on the water side to minimize soil corrosion caused by wave action.  At this point the Fraser River is tidal, which means that the water levels go up and down with the ocean tides.  Most dykes are built to have a roadway or hiking trail on top


On the other side of the dyke is a spillway for overflow water.  Notice the farmlands on the right. You can read more information  RIGHT HERE.  So you can see that this mound of dirt holds back the River from flooding.



Richmond is very susceptible to flooding.  A storm like Sandy (on the eastern seaboard of the US) would put Richmond underwater.  Actually a storm surge of only 4 meters (approx 12 feet) could wipe out Richmond,  INFO HERE.


The River levels were very high last week for some reason


The whole City is surrounded by dykes to hold the water back  Many would not know that the land was created by silt from the Fraser River which had settled over time.  This area is actually called Lulu Island and is only accessible by bridges or the Massey Tunnel. (more info HERE).   The water table is very high, meaning that homes here do not have basements


Last Sunday was family day so I got to drlve Mrs Skoot's new white wheels




2 comments:

  1. Bob, how is Yvonne's wrist? She has a very nice car. Lucky for you she lets you drive it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. David:

    I don't drive it much, only on Sundays. She was advised not to drive until her wrist has healed. I really like it. It's a Subaru XV AWD. Unbelievable gas mileage as compared to her WRX which we traded in, fully loaded Limited

    ReplyDelete