From the January 29, 2008 Community Information Forum
Federal and Provincial Government Support
The Provincial government has provided assistance to the City throughout the ice jam and flood situation through the Provincial Emergency Program.
- Temporary Flood Protection works (River Road, Ongman Road, & Preston Road areas)
- Gabion dikes and technical support to install the Gabion Baskets (Neil Hamilton)
- Mechanical ice removal – Amphidex
- Warm water application
- Flood Specialists (Dave Andres and Paul Doyle) and MoE River Forecast Center Flood Technician (Lyle Larsen)
The funding formula is as follows:
- $0 – 4.4 million – response costs are 100% recoverable from the province through the Provincial Emergency Program – Financial Assistance for Emergency Response and Recovery Costs
- $4.4 – 8.8 million – 90% of response costs are recoverable from the Province. 10% of response costs are recoverable from the Federal Government. The Federal Government will only cover costs that they have approved.
- $8.8 – 17.6 – The Federal Government will pay for 50% of recovery on approved expenditures only.
What else can be done currently?
- Mechanically breaking the ice similar to what the Amphibex was able to do, is only effective if there is an open channel in the Fraser River for the ice to go.
- Other comments?
What will happen in the spring and next Fall?
The mitigation efforts which have been constructed, i.e. gabion diking, road berms, sandbagging, pumping systems will remain in place until a more permanent solution is found.
What options are being considered to mitigate or reduce the risk?
Many options for ice removal and management have been suggested and considered. To date emergency operations staff acted on the Amphibex and warm and ground water solutions. The EOC continues to consider other options and seek advice from experts as necessary to see what will work safely and effectively.
Are we going to keep the amphibex?
Not The Amphibex completed it contract and has returned to New Brunswick. Since the Fraser River has once again frozen mechanical ice removal is no longer effective. There is no where for the ice to go. The Amphibex was able to open the lower channel in the Nechako River. High streams flows and dangerous conditions because of ice movements limited the work the machine was able to do. The EOC is following up on securing a similar mechanical device out of Edmonton.
Is the City planning on building a wall or dike for affected Pulp Mill Road properties?
The EOC has had some recent field survey work completed on the south side of PG Pulpmill Road to help identify options for flood mitigation works in this area. This survey indicates that options here are extremely limited. There is very little room between the river and the homes to safely construct works in this area. Further, the land is so low here that any structures would likely prove ineffective even if they were installed. .
Long term study
The City will look at all the potential solutions and seek expert advice to ensure the appropriate solutions are pursued. The study will start as soon as the scope of the project and funding support have been agreed upon between the Province and the City. There are many issues that require in depth analysis, including groundwater, storage upstream, the upstream arteries that feed into our rivers, climate change impacts, etc. The study requires in river work which cannot be completed until after the freshet and considerable interaction with Federal and Provincial agencies, First Nations, Alcan and other local governments. It also requires significant public input.
Why can’t we dredge or make the river deeper?
The City is looking at all solutions. Dredging needs to be carefully studied because of the potential impacts it could have on connected river systems. It takes a considerable amount of data before a decision can be made and while dredging may turn out to be a viable option, the longer term solutions need to be fully researched in conjunction with temporary measures.
Were the Spring 2007 Miworth bank erosions part of the cause of the ice jam?
Rivers typically carry sediment over a period of years with constant river movement. If there are major situations that cause problems they would be definitely considered when studying the entire situation and potential solutions.
Why was industry which can threaten environmental ecosystems permitted to build so near the river?
The current Floodplain Bylaw was adopted by Council in 2007 with sections concerning setbacks and floodplain issues included in the 1980 Zoning Bylaw. Reviews of properties are done on a case by case basis.
What are the plans for the area in the City’s Official Community Plan?
To properly consider all long term options, it will also be necessary to have a highest and best use analysis occur for lands within the flood plain – particularly for lands in very close proximity to the river. The question for us here is what kinds of development are appropriate in areas prone to flooding? There is not a “one size fits all” answer to this – it must be based on detailed risk analysis on a case by case basis.