Solutions are in the future for the flooding in Muriel Creek.
Due to high water in Charlotte and Barreyre Lake, the MD of Bonnyville completed an aerial survey to determine the problem areas in hopes of preventing further issues.
Matt Janz, general manager of environmental and protective services, outlined the first phase of the project.
“During our investigation in 2018, we came up with a plan to do some maintenance,” he explained during MD council’s regular meeting on Wednesday, July 10.
Roughly seven miles from each lake, located between Fort Kent and Ardmore, they identified nine obstacles that need to be addressed, including sediment build-up and three culverts which require removal.
“We have gained permission to enter upon the land and to remove big structures from there from the landowners, so all of those approvals have been sent to Alberta Environment for approval,” explained Janz. “We’re expecting to get that approval probably within the next 30 to 45 days, and then we can start on this first seven-mile phase.”
If they achieve their goals, Janz said the water could drop at the end of the creek close to Ardmore by around three and a half metres.
According to Janz, it will allow the natural flow of water to go to the Beaver River and the hope is the area “won’t have as much flooded land” as it does now.
Reeve Greg Sawchuk noted, “It doesn’t take very much” to back up the areas, and large portions can be flooded quickly.
The cost of the project for 2019 is budgeted at $200,000, which would cover the removal of the culverts, legal surveys, sedimentation and vegetation clearing, and gaining approvals for the work.
However, expenses such as residents wanting to reinstall culverts that meet the requirements of the province, weren’t included in the cost.
“We’ve asked landowners if they do want to put it in. It would be up to them to bare the costs of another culvert of which would be roughly $8,000 to $10,000 to be within the specs of Alberta Environment,” Janz explained. “We’re going to be looking at a grant this fall that would cover those costs, but it doesn’t open up until the fall. We might have some assistance for them, but we have to wait for that grant process.”
The remainder of the project, which is approximately 14 miles, will be similar to the one currently underway.
“It will be clearing out culverts that are undersized, stuffed in, some spots that we’ve seen sediment increase, just cleaning those out and we should be good to go,” Janz exclaimed.
Once it’s completed, Sawchuk believes the MD will not only eliminate some of the flooding, but also allow residents to continue to access the creek.
“We can work with the landowners to ensure we can alleviate some of the flooding, but still allow them access to this water source, because a number of them use it for watering their cattle both in the summer and fall.”
Once they get the proper approvals, Janz hopes to get the larger equipment in to trench the creek by September, and anticipates the Muriel Creek restoration project could be completed in 2020.
