Elkford residents will soon be safer from flooding thanks to $2,381,000 that will upgrade 750 metres of dike and bank improvements along Boivin Creek. The funds are part of $5.95 million that will go towards flood mitigation projects in Elkford, Cranbrook, Kimberley, and Fairmont Hot Springs.
The funding is a joint investment by provincial, federal, and local governments, with each funding one third of the projects.
"Last year showed that hardly any community is immune to flooding,” said Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett. “It is gratifying to see East Kootenay communities receive much deserved help."
Elkford's Boivin Creek will see several improvements, including widening the channel, raising the dike on the north bank, and placing suitable riprap erosion protection along both banks.
"My community of Elkford is very appreciative that the provincial and federal governments have recognized the need to help us with flood mitigation,” commented Elkford Mayor Dean McKerracher. “I want to especially thank our MLA Bill Bennett and our MP David Wilks. Both of them serve us well in Elkford."
In Kimberley, $3,102,873 will rehabilitate the Mark Creek flume. The upper 220 metres of concrete channel will be replaced with a realigned and widened rock channel, two in-channel ponds will be constructed, and 100 metres of channel will be rebuilt to include a narrow low-flow channel and floodplain terraces.
In Fairmont Hot Springs, $467,329 will contribute to the continuation of the Fairmont Creek Debris Flow Mitigation project. The channel from the downstream end of the Fairmont Creek Recovery Project will be reconstructed, improving roughly 350 metres of the creek, increasing channel capacity in the lower section of Marble Canyon, and improving the outlet into the golf course pond/debris trap.
These projects are just three of 26 flood mitigation projects that will help communities address existing flood concerns and take proactive steps towards preventing flooding emergencies. $27 million in funding will be split between the projects which were selected from local governments or dike authority applications that offered cost effective solutions for areas at risk.
"These investments in flood mitigation are further examples of the success we can have when governments work together for our communities," stated Kootenay Columbia MP David Wilks.
For more information, visit www.bcbuildingcanadafundcommunities.ca.