Wednesday’s Boundary Flood Recovery Update Meeting gave deeper insight into the decision regarding flood protection options. This saw an extended question and answer period, and a packed GFSS auditorium. The meeting in it’s-self was a milestone for the Recovery Team.
Recovery Manager Graham Watt says the next step involves engineering assessments. “There’s draft conceptual alignments for dikes, for areas of buyout, for elevated roads, for these kind of strategy. Caveat, Caveat, Caveat, it’s early days there has not been detailed engineering and there needs to be a robust detailed flood plain map- or from special analysis that’s being done now.”
Many residents had new concerns raised by potential buy outs but the plan is not yet site specific, and is simply an ask to the provincial government. Council’s decision from Tuesday affects properties within city limits but not the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary. The RDKB is expected to make their decision within the next few weeks.
RDKB Chair Roly Russel says rural areas might allow for a more individual process to hearing resident’s needs. “For example in Manly Meadows we already know from conversations that happened, you know, weeks after the flood, that some of those residents want to be gone, want to be bought out, and some of those residents want to remain and so I would say for the rural area we probably can try to accommodate those within reason”
Urban Matters is helping with a short and long term housing strategy as Winter accommodation remains a hot-topic. Project Manager Emmeline Marshall-Hill says there’s about 88 family units needing housing that’s suitable for the Winter.
Marshall-Hill adds that we could see a better Grand Forks. “We understand that there were issues associated with housing before the flooding, weather it was availability or affordability, and so in a solution that seeks to answer to the struggles you’re experiencing because of the flood, it’s also going to answer to those pre-existing struggles.”
The River Study, or the Hydrological Engineer’s Report, is now completely available to the public online. The next Recovery Update was confirmed for Wednesday September 19th at 6PM, back at Grand Forks Secondary School.
To see or download the River Study click here.
To read about the last meeting click here.