Under the Province of Alberta’s proposed flood strategies, new developments in areas listed as floodways, according to Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, would be banned. Large sections of Drumheller fall under the floodways, which would severely limit any development in town.
In the wake of the devastation wrought by the flooding in Southern Alberta, the provincial government is outlining plans to help prevent similar catastrophic damage in the future.
Proposals are aimed at helping home owners rebuild or even relocate their homes, and bolster their flood mitigation structures.
However, there is one proposal which could have drastic repercussions for Drumheller. The provincial government plan calls for a ban on any new developments in all existing floodways in Alberta.
For Drumheller, where the idyllic badlands limit the amount of usable space, the proposal could stall or even outright stop further development.
“It’ll eliminate it in some areas. It’s a grave concern for the town. We’ve contacted the people responsible for it and explained the situation and what it could mean for the development and future of Drumheller,” said Mayor Terry Yemen. “They’ve given nothing more than an assurance that they will review the document.”
Areas falling under the floodway, according to Alberta Environment and Sustainable
Resource Development, include Nacmine, Midland, Newcastle, North Drumheller, around the Badlands Community Facility (BCF), Riverside, Rosedale, Lehigh, and East Coulee.
Conceivably any development in the fl oodway, such as phase 2 of the BCF would be prohibited.
Floodways are defined as being the natural fl ow of water during a 1-in-100 year flood
event, something that Drumheller has experienced twice in under a decade.
“They’re talking about natural flows, but we’re saying you need to factor in the Dickson
Dam for flood mitigation. When it’s factored in, it reduces the flow and takes a lot of the pink (floodways) off the map,” said Yemen.
After the 2005 flood, the Town of Drumheller undertook a massive flood mitigation effort, the fruits of which saved many areas of town during the flood one month ago.
“If they give us some funding, we can mitigate a lot more of Drumheller, like the dike in Newcastle and in Rosedale,” said Yemen.
“We don’t want to put anyone in peril, but it’s critical the province has to factor in the dam and bring down their numbers to what we’re used to dealing with.”
For the time being, the Town continues to lobby the province to review the situation in Drumheller. No indication was given as to how long the province’s review would take.
To view the Alberta floodways in Alberta, visit www.envinfo.gov.ab.ca/floodhazard.
“All the issues, such as development and property values, is a big concern for the Town. We’re land-challenged anyway, so if you take off a large chunk of our real estate, we’re going to be a community of 8,000 for a lot of years,” said Yemen. “The numbers they are using are just not acceptable. It’s too damning. Hopefully, common sense will prevail.”
