The Province of Alberta, in response to the disastrous flooding in Southern Alberta in June, is proposing to ban development in areas labelled floodways, which includes much of Drumheller according to the latest flood hazard map from the Province. Drumheller is currently fighting to have the proposal overturned.
While the flooding that befell Southern Alberta is over, affected communities are still struggling with problems it caused.
Though Drumheller was spared the devastation seen in communities such as High River, the problems it faces could spell disaster for the town according to Mayor Terry Yemen.
Under the Province of Alberta’s post-flood proposals is a ban on new developments in areas labelled floodways. Much of Drumheller is labelled as such.
“If the current mapping is permitted to stand it will kill the Town of Drumheller. When the map was created, there was no consultation with the municipality, no consideration for the dykes which the Town of Drumheller has in place that proved so effective in 2005 and again in 2013. They also did not take into account the Town’s requirement to have properties in the food zone be brought to a 1 in 100 year level before a building permit is permitted,” said Yemen.
In an exclusive interview, The Mail had the opportunity to speak with Associate Minister Greg Weadick, who is overseeing the flood recovery efforts in Southeast Alberta, to learn more about the development ban.
Greg Weadick...
Associate Minister of Regional Recovery and Reconstruction – Southeast
“The first thing we have to consider is the safety of Albertans. We want to make sure the policies we put in place protect Albertans, their homes, and businesses,” said Weadick.
“There has always been, in the MGA (Municipal Government Act) a strong recommendation to not build in a flood plain. It’s been part of our requirements for a long time, but there has always been the ability for municipalities to make decisions to allow development in those areas. The legislation will tighten that up, so we don’t have to rescue people from their homes or see them washed away.”
Weadick has asked a review to be conducted regarding Drumheller’s situation, but could not give a specific timeline as to when it would be completed.
“I’ve asked for mapping and ESRD (Environment and Sustainable Resource Development) to look into what kind of protection we get from our facilities, like the Dickson Dam. What kind of protection do we get from them and are there operating things we can do to provide more support? I think they will take time as the new committee gets a chance to look at everything and review,” said Weadick. “They’ll take a look at the results from this flood and determine the impact. We’ll be revisiting those and the impact of the Dickson Dam and how it affects things. It may show that some of that (mitigation) protects to a 1-in-100 level.”
Under the current flood hazard map for the province (www.envinfo.gov.ab.ca/floodhazard), much of Nacmine, lower Midland, Newcastle, North Drumheller, Downtown, Rosedale, Cambria, Lehigh, and East Coulee are within the floodway.
For now, residents living in floodways or fringes are being asking to undertake mitigation efforts on their homes, such as raising electrical boxes over a 1-in-100 level, use ceramic tiles in basements in lieu of carpets, and moving the furnace higher.
“We’re asking people in the floodway to get a start on doing some basic mitigation. Then, we’ll work with Drumheller to determine if there’s any mitigation we can do as a community,” said Weadick.
For the time being, the Town of Drumheller will continue to lobby to have the Province’s proposal revised.
