City Seeks Long Term Solutions To Flood Risk

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 05:01 AM

Prince George, B.C. - Prince George's Director of Development Services says the city is pursuing a 'Flood Risk and Solutions' study, jointly with the province.

"Currently, we're working...to get agreement on Terms of Reference with the province, and also negotiating funds for the province to provide for this service," says Bob Radloff.

He says the study will review the risk of flooding to Prince George residents -- which could possibly lead to the redefinition of flood levels -- assessing flows, and assessing influences on those flows.'

"We're also looking at looking at solutions as part of this -- long term solutions, all solutions," says Radloff, "This includes issues like removal of sediment, if that is presented as a possible solution, permanent works -- which include dikes and pumps -- and land-use change, as well."

Manager of Long Range Planning, Grant Bain, says "Part of the scope of the study will be to identify what the new 200-year flood plain level is and the flood construction level." Bain says, once that's determined, it will be contained in a new bylaw, the flood plain mapping would be changed accordingly, and it would be enforced during the development permit stage.

The process to determine the new flood elevation level could take seven months. Radloff says there will be opportunities for public input from interested residents and businesses during the process.

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Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 05:01 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: metalman on January 22 2008 7:25 AM

Heres me taking the opportunity to provide my public input, why wait seven months;
dredge the confluence, sell the gravel.
Building containment walls (dikes) does not address the ice damming problem, it seems to me that raising the walls, so to speak, allows more water to build up, and we have all learned in the past 5 weeks what that results in. Keep the river flowing (deep, relatively narrow main channel) dredge dredge dredge.
metalman.

Posted by: giterdun on January 22 2008 7:56 AM

I AGREE WITH METALMAN...TROUBLE IS, DREDGING IS TOO SIMPLE AND SIMPLE IS NOT IN THEIR VOCABULARY.ENGINEERS AND BUREAUCRATS LIKE THINGS COMPLICATED SO THEY CAN PERPETUATE THEIR JOBS. THAT IS WHY EVERYTHING THAT GOVERNMENT IS INVOLVED WITH IS USUALLY OVER BUDGET.

Posted by: heidi1555 on January 22 2008 8:20 AM

Yes metalman I agree!
Sounds like a job for......AMPHIBEX!!!
Page 9 ..lol..

http://www.ecotec.ca/pdf/EcologicalSolution.pdf

This machine seems like a must buy.

Posted by: lostfaith on January 22 2008 8:20 AM

I agree with metalman and giterdun. Dredging is the only answer, I've said that from the begining. Certain times of the year we cant get our jetboats into the fraser from the Nechako. Our boats simply run aground, kind of like the ice.
Hmmmm, if the river channel was deeper we could get our boats into the Fraser.
Double Hmmmm, I think that it would also allow the river ice to flow freely into the Fraser from the Nechako without jamming. YA THINK. Well on second thought, maybe we should hire some consultants and throw in a few other EXPERTS, I'm sure they could use some more of our money don't you? Much of the flood damage has been caused from water percolating up under the ground UNDER ROADS. Hmmmmm do the powers that be really think that dyking is the answer, I think most people don't believe it is.
Good morning

Posted by: tinyapplecork on January 22 2008 9:08 AM

We already have flow information! Wasn't the flood risk assessment done in 1996? Where are the hydrologists? Usually, there is at least one on municipal payroll. Seven months to get study completed brings us to August, then 2-3 months to actually get any work done -- wow then we're back to freeze again! C'mon city you can do better than that! Why not make this a pet project for UNBC students? Or from the other campuses in the province? Are experts really that hard to get a hold of in PG? The long waits and studying to death is getting really old really fast. How much more studying do you people have to do? We already know what the "new" flood level is. Remember, we raised the road to .6 meters above that line, um a week or so ago? Pick up the phone, do some research, um use google if ya have to. Library and city should have lots of historical data too. Does that take 7 months. IMO NO WAY!

Posted by: kevin1006 on January 22 2008 11:15 AM

Metalman and the rest of you are, sorry, wrong, wrong, wrong!!

In fact you're showing clearly in these posts why issues like this continue to happen: You are not showing any logic or long term thinking.

The only solution is long term:

1. Stop building in the flood plain. Pass whatever laws are needed to ban the contruction of any buildings in this area.

2. The Province should start a fund to buy the private land holdings located in the flood plain. This land should be either returned to wild lands status or leased out to farmers.

3. Any buildings destroyed by flooding should not be rebuilt. The province should purchase this land and then give an equal amount of Crown land to the land owner in order to entice them to move without turning the issue into a court case.

Dredging is just another short term fix that will not solve a thing. It is in fact just more of the same that has led to no solutions of any kind. The only solutions are the ones that will lead to this whole issue never happening again.

Posted by: lostfaith on January 22 2008 11:34 AM

Yes it seems very logical to buy these land owners out. Which property do you own?

"Dredging is just another short term fix that will not solve a thing. It is in fact just more of the same that has led to no solutions of any kind. The only solutions are the ones that will lead to this whole issue never happening again".

Please elaborate

Posted by: red2b on January 22 2008 11:55 AM

kevin1006, what fantasy land do you come from? I am sure it would only take a few billion dollars to buy up the land that is in the flood plane. Dredging is the simplist, most logical and by far, the most inexpensive solution.

This land was developed, lots sold and buildings built years ago. Now, anyone who owns land in the flood plain, or the new expanded flood plain should be penalized?

Posted by: Don Wilkins on January 22 2008 1:08 PM

Thank you Kevin. Although I do not agree with all your comments, I do believe the spirit of them is correct.

Sure we can dredge but is that the best move, maybe. How long before it is full of silt again? How far from the Fraser do we need to go?

Maybe putting in the warm water pipe line is the long term solution. I hope it is permanent! That way any time in the future that conditions present themselves you can turn on the tap and clear the river of ice.

We need to look at more than just digging a ditch.

Posted by: lostfaith on January 22 2008 1:51 PM

DW,dredging/gravel removal is a proven fix. Warm water injection is a guess.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Nechako dredged many, many years ago?
It worked for many years and now it's time once again.

Posted by: heidi1555 on January 22 2008 2:09 PM

I found another awesome website!

http://www.frpd.ca/articles.html

and watch "Caisson Dredging Video"

Posted by: red2b on January 22 2008 2:50 PM

Isn't some of the problem the ice that is flowing down the river and getting jammed at the "bottom"? If hot water is added it may prvent the river from freezing over but I doubt that it will melt chunks of ice that will be flowing by-until they get jammed. The only logical solution seems to be dredging. We will have to see what the "experts" have to say.

Posted by: Palopu on January 22 2008 7:19 PM

heidi555. I sent a letter (email) to the VP of Fraser River Pile Driving on Dec. 28th outlining the problems with the rivers in Prince George and suggesting that they may want to talk to the powers to be about **dredging* Never received a reply.

I think these are the right guys for the dredging job.

Posted by: NMG on January 22 2008 7:29 PM

Dredge it as a short-term solution and start moving towards getting industry relocated as a long term solution.

Posted by: heidi1555 on January 22 2008 9:26 PM

Yes they appear to be excellent. Hopefully certain eyes will read your comment.

:)

Posted by: Eagleone on January 22 2008 11:07 PM

IMO relocate industry through a new ring road enabled infrastructure drive to remove industry from the bowl air-shed. Then stop building tax payer funded public buildings downtown below the flood plain, and allow for zoning of an area for private investers to invest in the urban lifestyle (IMO golf course properties behind Pine Centre, or Cranbrook Hill Crest). I figure it would eliminate the three big things that kill PG as a viable growth city and correct our course. Time will tell.

Posted by: pulpworker on January 24 2008 10:05 AM

Number crunching the thermodynamics based on water temp and flows from the mill indicate this "pipedream" will raise 1/8 of the Nechako flow by 1 degree.
Could this be another big waste of money? Me thinks so!