Project Description

Palmer, on behalf of Parks Canada, completed a comprehensive inventory and preliminary risk assessment of river meander encroachment sites along highways within Banff, Glacier, Jasper, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke and Yoho National Parks based on analysis of high-resolution orthophotography and LiDAR data.

A total of 241 encroachment sites was identified and inventoried within the six parks prior to a preliminary evaluation of the erosion risk for each site. At higher risk sites, Palmer completed comparative overlay analyses demonstrating how the river channels had migrated over time to forecast the course of future bank erosion. Based on these analyses, we specified requirements to mitigate erosion for each park highway over the next 25 years.

This assessment allowed Parks Canada to make informed decisions regarding sourcing and stockpiling of materials (e.g. riprap), upcoming budget allocations, and permitting initiatives.