With roughly 20 per cent of land in Surrey, B.C., sitting on a coastal floodplain threatened by climate change, the city is preparing for rising water levels that could severely damage residential neighbourhoods, businesses, natural habitats and infrastructure.

Mayor Linda Hepner says work is underway on a Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy that will help determine what kind of mitigation work needs to be done immediately and what can be put off into the distant future.

“We do have an effective system