The RDEK’s Fairmont Hot Springs Hazard Guidance Project is aimed at:
- Developing and considering policies that can further guide development and land use in the identified hazard areas within Fairmont Hot Springs; and,
- Increasing community awareness and understanding of the debris flow and debris flood hazard and risks associated with Cold Spring Creek and Fairmont Creek.
The project is 100% grant funded through a Union of BC Municipalities Grant and will not have any impact on taxes oustide of staff time). It is being led by consultants from BGC Engineering and Pinna Sustainability with support from the RDEK Planning team.
Latest Project Update - October 27, 2025
The final Guidance Report prepared by BGC Engineering & Pinna Sustainability Inc. has now been accepted by the RDEK.
The Guidance Report provides direction on how the RDEK should integrate updated information on the hazard risk related to debris flow hazards for both Fairmont Creek and Cold Spring Creek into existing policy documents and what new policies that reflect the identified level of hazard risk should be adopted. More specifically, the Fairmont Hot Springs Hazard Guidance Project Report recommends the following:
- future updates to the Official Community Plan and regulatory bylaws (zoning bylaw and floodplain management bylaw) to reflect the updated hazard information for both Fairmont Creek and Cold Spring Creek.
- adoption of a Risk Tolerance Policy, including specific criteria for the Fairmont Hot Springs area;
- updates to the Official Community Plan with new Development Permit Areas for both creeks; and
- development of Development Approval Policies guided by a combined framework that integrates consideration of the adopted risk tolerance policy and identified level of hazard.
The focus of the report is guidance for future changes and will not result in changes to the Official Community Plan or regulatory bylaws until such time as specific actions to implement the recommendations are taken by the RDEK. Community consultation will occur prior to proceeding with formal changes to the Official Community Plan or Bylaws. It is anticipated that the implementation will occur in phases and community consultation will occur at each phase.
How does this project relate to the Fairmont Debris Mitigation Project?
The Fairmont Debris Mitigation Project resulted in updated engineering reports for both creeks that outline the level of debris flow hazard that is currently modelled based on the existing community-level structural mitigation works. These reports provide the baseline information on the current level of hazard for both creeks that informed the professional recommendations in the Guidance Report and will be considered during future processes to guide future development in the Fairmont Hot Springs area.
Community Information Meeting
A community information meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, November 18 at 7:00 pm. The Guidance Report will be available online from October 31. A link to the meeting and an opportunity to provide questions in advance of the meeting are available on the Fairmont Debris Mitigation Project page.
If you would like to submit a question in advance of the meeting they can be submitted via the comment form on the Fairmont Debris Mitigation Project page.
