Stormwater Master Plan

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Rain that falls across Tofino travels through ditches, culverts, pipes and natural assets before arriving at various ocean outfall locations. The District’s 2026 Stormwater Master Plan provides its first community-wide assessment of how this drainage system works, where it faces challenges and what improvements may be needed over time.

Why Was the Plan Created?

Heavy rainfall can put pressure on drainage systems. The District worked with McElhanney Engineering to develop a plan to understand where rainwater flows, assess the condition of drainage infrastructure and see how the system may perform during current and future wet weather events.

The plan compiles field assessment observations, existing inspection data, elevation mapping and computer models. It considered both current rainfall and rainfall projected under climate change.

What Did the District Learn?

The plan found that some pipes, culverts and drainage routes may not have enough capacity to carry the water expected during certain storms, or have good capacity but are in poor condition and need to be renewed. It also identified infrastructure that needs further inspection, and locations that require land-use agreements to provide long-term service delivery.

Stormwater crosses private property, public rights-of-way, and jurisdictional boundaries. The District manages some infrastructure, while other parts involve the Province or private property owners. Improvements in those areas will require coordination.

What Improvements Does the Plan Recommend?

Recommendations include replacing or enlarging some pipes and culverts, improving roadside drainage, addressing flooding areas, and securing access to drainage infrastructure. The plan identifies possible projects in several areas, including Main Street, Campbell Street, the Chesterman Beach loop and Highway 4.

The plan ranks proposed projects to help the District decide what to review first. Its planning-level estimate for capacity-related upgrades is approximately $2.9 million. This is an estimate for future planning, not an approved budget or construction schedule.

What Happens Next?

The District will use the findings to guide maintenance, review the stormwater demands of future development, and consider upgrades through its financial planning process. The information will also help inform a Stormwater Asset Management Plan, anticipated in 2027.

Read the Plan

For maps, technical findings and recommended projects, read the 2026 Stormwater Master Plan. The September 29, 2026 Committee of the Whole report also provides a shorter overview of the findings and their implications for the District.

Rain that falls across Tofino travels through ditches, culverts, pipes and natural assets before arriving at various ocean outfall locations. The District’s 2026 Stormwater Master Plan provides its first community-wide assessment of how this drainage system works, where it faces challenges and what improvements may be needed over time.

Why Was the Plan Created?

Heavy rainfall can put pressure on drainage systems. The District worked with McElhanney Engineering to develop a plan to understand where rainwater flows, assess the condition of drainage infrastructure and see how the system may perform during current and future wet weather events.

The plan compiles field assessment observations, existing inspection data, elevation mapping and computer models. It considered both current rainfall and rainfall projected under climate change.

What Did the District Learn?

The plan found that some pipes, culverts and drainage routes may not have enough capacity to carry the water expected during certain storms, or have good capacity but are in poor condition and need to be renewed. It also identified infrastructure that needs further inspection, and locations that require land-use agreements to provide long-term service delivery.

Stormwater crosses private property, public rights-of-way, and jurisdictional boundaries. The District manages some infrastructure, while other parts involve the Province or private property owners. Improvements in those areas will require coordination.

What Improvements Does the Plan Recommend?

Recommendations include replacing or enlarging some pipes and culverts, improving roadside drainage, addressing flooding areas, and securing access to drainage infrastructure. The plan identifies possible projects in several areas, including Main Street, Campbell Street, the Chesterman Beach loop and Highway 4.

The plan ranks proposed projects to help the District decide what to review first. Its planning-level estimate for capacity-related upgrades is approximately $2.9 million. This is an estimate for future planning, not an approved budget or construction schedule.

What Happens Next?

The District will use the findings to guide maintenance, review the stormwater demands of future development, and consider upgrades through its financial planning process. The information will also help inform a Stormwater Asset Management Plan, anticipated in 2027.

Read the Plan

For maps, technical findings and recommended projects, read the 2026 Stormwater Master Plan. The September 29, 2026 Committee of the Whole report also provides a shorter overview of the findings and their implications for the District.