Final Flood Mitigation Report Recommends $44 Million in Projects
By 250 News
Monday, October 05, 2009 10:08 PM
Prince George, B.C.- City Council has received the final report from Northwest Hydraulic Consultants on flood mitigation, and the recommendations carry a very heft price tag.
In all, the work that would need to be done is estimated at nearly $44 million dollars.
The first three actions that will be taken are, selection of a freeboard allowance (giving a water level “cushion”) revising the floodplain and the preparation of erosion hazard mapping. Combined, the three projects carry a price tag of about $45 thousand dollars.
The freeboard allowance would be the construction level over and above the new floodplain marks. The floodplain will change and Councilor Garth Frizzell is concerned about what a .6 metre freeboard would mean financially to property owners when it comes to things like insurance rates.
Other recommended “investigative” projects carry a price tag of about $170 thousand dollars:
• Install pump-test well/level gauges for Area AN to assess groundwater ($42,500)
• Install water-level gauges & develop winter flow monitoring program ($70,000)
• Develop ice-related flood forecast procedures and public notification policy ($20,000)
• Develop freshet forecasting procedures ($25,000)
• Monitor river bed at confluence ($15,000)
• Monitor future impacts on flood flows (minimal cost)
It is the "area specific" work that carries the big price tag, much of which is related to “land use changes” namely purchasing the land from the current owners:
1. Area AN – Nechako South Bank at Confluence:
Setback dike ($300,000 engineering; $15.5 M Class D)
2. Area CF – Fraser West Bank at Hudson’s Bay Slough West of Queensway:
Check adequacy of existing protection ($10,000 engineering)
3. Area CN – Nechako North Bank near Confluence:
Land-use change and local floodproofing ($50,000 engineering; $9.3 M Class D)
4. Area DN – Nechako North Bank West of John Hart Bridge:
Raise Preston Road (if supported by further investigations) and/or local
floodproofing/land-use change ($100,000 engineering; $4 M Class D – assuming road
is raised)
5. Area BF – Fraser West Bank at South Fort George:
Local floodproofing/land-use change ($20,000 engineering; $2.9 M Class D)
6. Area BN – Nechako North Bank East of John Hart Bridge
Building/infrastructure inventory and wet floodproofing ($25,000 engineering)
7. Area EN – Nechako North Bank at Morning Place:
Local floodproofing/land-use change ($15,000 engineering; $1.4 M Class D)
8. Area DF – Fraser West Bank at Lansdowne South End:
Local floodproofing/land-use change ($5,000 engineering; $0.8 M Class D)
9. Area GN – Nechako South Bank between John Hart and Foothills Bridges
Infrastructure inventory ($5,000 engineering)
10. Area FN – Nechako South Bank at Foot Hills Bridge
Infrastructure inventory ($5,000 engineering)
11. Area FF – Fraser West Bank at Northwood Pulpmill Road
Inventory and raising of Landooz Road ($5,000 engineering & predesign; $5.8 M
Class D)
12. Area GF – Fraser West Bank across from Shelley
Water Survey Canada gauge check ($0)
13. Area AF – Fraser West Bank at Yellowhead Highway
Infrastructure inventory ($5,000-engineering)
14. Area EF – Fraser West Bank at Island upstream of Confluence
Confirm extent of revised floodplain relative to housing ($0)
A further project which the City would like to see done is the enlarging of the Cottonwood Island side-channel. That project is estimated to be just under $4 million dollars.
As for funding, the Staff report suggests some projects can start immediately as operational funds for infrastructure planning in the current fiscal year allow.
If Council gives its approval, the big ticket items for specific areas will be included in the City’s Capital Expenditure Plan, but the source for those dollars has yet to be determined. There may be some money available through the Province’s Emergency Management Flood Protection Program, but the Province has already stated, on more than one occasion, that it will not provide money for the expropriation of properties.
Council has directed Administration to move ahead on three projects, (freeboard allowance, revision of floodplain mapping, preparation of erosion hazard mapping) and has directed Staff to :
A) Apply for applicable funding for erosion hazard mapping, and
B) Include in the capital expenditure Plan the area specific projects in order of priority and available funding
With winter coming on, Mayor Dan Rogers wanted some sort of comfort as to what has been learned so some concerns could be alleviated. Monika Mannerstrom of Northwest Hydraulics says she doesn't have a crystal ball, but they do know you have to have flows in the Nechako of more than 200 cubic meters per second and minus 5 temperatures for 10 to 20 days. "The cold temperatures, your guess is as good as mine. The flows have been quite low, the reserevoir is quite low, I would be quite surprised if the flows were high this year."
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Posted by: bohemian on October 5 2009 11:14 PM
We have to think of mega-projects here because the problem will only get worse with global warming, which involves increased evaporation/rain falls.
I would like to see more extravagent engineering reports. Solutions posed are noble, but seem piecemeal.