Coastal & Environmental Services
Flood risk assessments and floodplain mapping
Understand the risk. Plan for the future. Build with confidence.
Flooding presents significant challenges for communities, infrastructure, and development, and understanding those risks is essential to building a more resilient future.
At EBH, we provide flood risk assessment, floodplain mapping, and hydrologic and hydraulic analysis services to help municipalities, developers, and infrastructure owners make informed decisions.
Serving New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada, our team combines technical engineering expertise with a forward-thinking approach to climate resilience and sustainable development.
Flood risk and climate resilience planning
Floodplain and flood hazard mapping
Hydrologic and hydraulic flood modelling
Compound flooding analysis and modelling
Resilient coastal infrastructure design
Erosion and sediment control
How we help
Supporting safer, more resilient communities.
Every property faces a unique combination of environmental conditions and potential flood hazards; Topography, waterways, coastal water levels, rainfall patterns, existing infrastructure, and surrounding development all influence how water moves across the landscape.
At Engineering by Houghton, we look beyond a single flood elevation or mapped boundary to understand the broader factors contributing to flood exposure.
By combining existing-conditions assessments, terrain information, engineering analysis, and flood modeling, we help clients identify potential hazards, understand their implications, and make better-informed decisions about development and infrastructure.
Our approach to flood risk assessment
Flood risk is not static. Resilient communities begin with a clear understanding of sources, planned infrastructure developments, and changing climate patterns.
Understand site & project objectives
We start by understanding the existing infrastructure, site topography, surrounding waterways, coastal conditions, and your goals and objectives.
Identify relevant flood hazards
With a strong understanding of the existing conditions, we identify all sources that may affect the site; river flooding, coastal inundation, storm surge, rainfall-driven flooding, compound flood conditions, etc.
Evaluate and model flood scenarios
We model potential flood conditions under various scenarios to estimate flood elevations, examine water movement, evaluate interactions between flood sources, and determine potential inundation extents.
Map and assess impact
After analysing modelling results, we develop maps, drawings, and/or reports to communicate potential flood risks and how these conditions may affect existing infrastructure, proposed developments, and other important assets.
Develop practical recommendations
Based on the findings, we help clients find the best solutions for development planning, infrastructure upgrades, flood mitigation strategies, and climate adaptation.
Frequently asked questions
A flood risk assessment evaluates potential flooding and its implications for a property, development, community, or infrastructure asset.
Depending on the project, this may include; flood probability, potential water levels, inundation extents, exposure of buildings and infrastructure, and mitigation strategies to support informed planning and construction decisions.
Floodplain mapping is the process of identifying and illustrating areas that may be affected by flooding under specified conditions.
Floodplain maps show inundation boundaries, flood elevations, water depths, or other flood characteristics.
These maps are informed by terrain data, hydrologic analysis, hydraulic modelling, and historical and projected flood data.
In New Brunswick, publicly available provincial flood hazard maps can provide an initial indication of potential flooding near rivers and coastal areas.
However, the available maps do not necessarily cover every flooding mechanism or every location. A site-specific assessment may be appropriate when more detailed information is needed for development, infrastructure design, or other important decisions.
A 100-year flood is an event with a 1% annual exceedance probability under the assumptions used for the analysis.
This means that the specified flood magnitude has a 1% chance of being equalled or exceeded in any given year. It does not mean that such a flood occurs only once every 100 years.
Flood probability estimates can also change over time as climate conditions, land use, and available data evolve.
Stormwater management generally focuses on controlling and conveying runoff generated by rainfall and development.
Flood risk assessment takes a broader perspective, examining potential flooding and its consequences for land, infrastructure, and communities. A flood risk assessment may consider river flooding, coastal water levels, storm surge, drainage constraints, and interactions between multiple flood sources.
Compound flooding occurs when two or more flood drivers interact and contribute to flooding.
For example, heavy rainfall and elevated river flows may coincide with coastal storm surge or high tides, potentially increasing water levels or limiting drainage.
Compound flooding analysis helps evaluate these interactions and their implications for infrastructure and developments.
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