Three new flood mitigation projects in the Foothills have gained provincial funding.
The MD of Foothills flood modelling program, created in 2016, will receive $123,136 from the Province to continue into its next phase. The funding is part of $2 million promised by the Province for flood modelling in High River, the MD of Foothills and surrounding area in 2015-2016.
Additional modelling of the Highwood River will see improvements to the existing flood model in the area along 72 Street East and the Aldersyde area, an evaluation of the Groeneveld Crossing Bridge just north of High River on 498 Avenue, and a detailed report on whether compensation would be appropriate for agricultural landowners impacted by mitigation efforts in the Town of High River.
“This is moving forward beyond where we had approval before,” said MD of Foothills CAO Harry Riva-Cambrin.
Previous modelling took into account land and river-flow information along the Highwood and Little Bow Rivers to anticipate how water flow would impact individuals in the event of another major flood. In 2013, the Highwood River peaked between 1,500 to 1,800 cubic metres per second, and the MD predicts an increase by about 300 cubic metres as a result of flood protection measures.
The MD has been dealing with the Province and landowners to determine the best course of action. Riva-Cambrin said the MD will opt to buy-out landowners where necessary because is it costs more to protect properties than to buy them out.
While prior models provided some clarity on the work that will need to be done, nothing has begun at this time.
“We’re trying to deal with some of the issues the landowners have with additional water coming their way in a similar event to what happened in 2013,” said Riva-Cambrin. “There is a request into the Province and we’re waiting now to hear back on what may or may not be approved.”
The new projects will help provide information, particularly in Aldersyde areas where both the railroad and the highway may factor in future flooding, he said. The MD required additional modelling to get a better picture of how water flow might be affected, said Riva-Cambrin.
Funding for the modelling was not expected in 2017, he said. By accessing funds from the 2016-2017 budget, work can continue uninterrupted, said Riva-Cambrin.
“We had thought we were going to go forward in the next fiscal year of the Province, but I guess there were still some funds available from the previous year,” he said.
