With two important milestones achieved, Rocky View County (RVC) is excited to progress to the next steps of a flood mitigation project in Bragg Creek.
“We want to prevent the type of devastating effects that we saw from the flooding in 2013,” said Doug Hafichuk, RVC’s manager of Capital Projects. “We’re very confident that this project will achieve those results.”
The situation in 2013 drew attention to long-standing flood issues within the hamlet, he said, and RVC entered into a contribution agreement with the Government of Alberta in 2017 to plan, design and construct the Bragg Creek Flood Mitigation Project. The initiative was sponsored by the provincial and federal governments, according to Hafichuk, which together contributed $32.8 million for the project.
“The hamlet itself has experienced some very significant flood events, dating back well over a century at this point, which is why we were quite excited that three levels of government could come together,” he said.
The project will see the construction of a large earthen berm along portions of the Elbow River. According to Hafichuk, the berm will be landscaped to provide some park space, but is primarily meant to manage the flow of water and redirect it away from the community.
A major milestone was met June 11, he said, when RVC received approval for the project from Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) under the Water Act. Whenever the municipality undertakes work around a major body of water, AEP needs to ensure the work won’t negatively impact the water. The County is required to submit an application describing the scope of the work, and to address statements of concern regarding the project. The application process usually takes about one year, Hafichuk added.
AEP accepted 10 statements of concern – one from Tsuut’ina Nation, two from the hamlet of Bragg Creek and seven from Springbank. According to Hafichuk, all those concerns have now been addressed to the satisfaction of AEP.
Earlier this month, the County also completed its goal of acquiring the land required to construct the flood barriers, which he said has been ongoing since May 2017. While Hafichuk was unable to provide exact acreage amounts, he said the municipality worked with many landowners to acquire more than 50 individual pieces of land through a process he described as “consistent and transparent.”
“The County would be remiss not to express their appreciation for the co-operation we’ve gotten from all the landowners, from our neighbours [and] from the Tsuut’ina,” Hafichuk said. “It is a large, complex project, and everybody’s come to the table and worked hard towards a common goal.”
Once the project is awarded, which Hafichuk said should happen shortly after it is tendered in the coming weeks, construction is scheduled to begin in September. The majority of the build will be completed this year, according to Hafichuk, with additional work occurring in 2020. The County will then monitor the condition of the berms, with the project anticipated to be fully complete – including site cleanup – in late 2021.
RVC is still waiting for approval from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which Hafichuk said is similar to the process with AEP.
“We don’t have the formal approval yet, but I think the fact that we are tendering this to market for construction should signal our comfort level that approval will be in hand,” he said.
Hafichuk said the undertaking fulfills one of the municipality’s core functions by protecting the life and assets of its residents, and added he was excited about the project moving to the next stages.
“As a professional, this is exactly the kind of thing that I got into government to do, was provide this kind of benefit,” he said. “I think that administration, in general, will be of that mindset, so this is a big win. It’s an exciting time for RVC and we’re looking forward to seeing it come to completion.”
