The National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) was established to address the rising flood risks and costs across Canada by providing funding to provincial and territorial governments to conduct projects related to: flood risk assessments, mapping, mitigation planning, and investments in non-structural and small-scale structural mitigation projects. The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, and South Nation Conservation submitted a collaborative NDMP funding proposal to conduct a flood risk assessment of their joint watersheds. Approval of the project was communicated by Public Safety Canada in May, 2021.

The objectives of the project were to:

1. Establish criteria and methodology that could be used to evaluate future floodplain mapping
   projects, including the delineation of reaches.
2. Undertake a risk assessment to determine priorities for new floodplain mapping or floodplain
   mapping updates.
3. Develop a floodplain mapping strategy that supports risk mitigation and economic
   efficiency following the current best management practices.

A total of 28 floodplain mapping work packages were identified for MVCA representing 275 reaches (approximately 20% of the total number of reaches in MVCA’s jurisdiction). below shows the flood risk of all evaluated reaches. Work packages were prioritized based on the flood risk reach in each work package, and grouped by type (predominantly river or lake reaches).

Results from this study have already been used to successfully leverage funding through Natural Resources Canada’s Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program (FHIMP) to conduct a floodplain mapping study of the Clyde River, which the Flood Risk Assessment study identified as one of the top-priority reaches.