Grand Forks City Council made a decision yesterday that may never be forgotten. Council chose between flood protection options.
Deputy Manager of Operations & Sustainability Cavan Gates says the decision does not come cheap. “So the dollar figure, and you’ll probably not like this, is 60 million plus, minus, 50 per cent.”
Council chose the safest options over the cheapest options with one example being Downtown Grand Forks partially elevated in the Riverside Drive area, with improvements to the storm drain-system, the implantation of flood walls, and a partial buyout.
North Ruckle will be bought out entirely, and returned to a natural floodplain with the implementation of a dike. South Ruckle will undergo bank protection, partial buyouts and a setback dike. The Johnson Flats area will have homes raised, bank protection, and partial buyouts. South of Highway 3 and East of the Granby River, tourist and commercial properties will be raised, and the mobile-home park relocated.
Councillor Neil Krog explains that the City won’t be purchasing homes. “Just so everybody’s clear that this is the ask we are sending to the province, alright? So we’re not buying anything out we’re asking the province. We’re hoping and we’re assuming that they’ll do the right thing and take our recommendations”
The full project is planned to be implemented over the next four years with funding to be secured through provincial and federal grants and partnerships.
The decision only applies to properties within city limits and not to those in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary. The buyout program and infrastructure designs will be developed over the course of the next year.
Recovery Manager Graham Watt also highlights that winter housing continues to be a big priority. “The first priority for the recovery team is making sure that people are not living in their trailers and RV’s, sheds this winter so that there’s safe, warm and dry accommodations and we have some building blocks in place, and feel optimistic about these options.”
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