On Thursday, December 28, 2023, the Government of Alberta released an annual Provincial Flood Map, meant to better enhance public safety.
Flood maps analyze and show where water will run to during a flood and show which areas are at highest risk of being flooded. It assesses and pinpoints flood risks along the Red Deer River throughout the Valley, as well as the Rosebud River and Michichi Creek, both of which converge into the Red Deer river.
This is particularly important for Drumheller because this year it acknowledges the new berm construction.
“Flood mapping is what mortgage lenders and insurance companies use to assess risk and eligibility. If your home is shown to be in a floodway, you probably wouldn’t get a mortgage and/or home insurance may be very expensive,” explains Drumheller CAO Darryl Drohomerski.
According to Drumheller’s Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office’s website, their mission is to “Protect residents and property from loss or injury related to the perils of flood and changes in climate,” and their goal is to “Preserve the value of property and ensure risk is reduced to levels which allows financial and insurance products to remain available.”
With the new berm construction throughout the Valley, this will help with the risk mitigation and cost to homeowners for insurance.

The Indoor Pool and aquatic area at the Drumheller Aquaplex will reopen on Friday, February 23, 2024, following an extended closure due to facility repairs and unforeseen construction delays.
In the summer of 2023, following routine annual maintenance, the Aquaplex staff identified a leak in the mechanical pit of the Aquaplex. During this time, the Indoor Pool area was closed to the public, though the hot tub remained open until mid-August, and the steam room remained open until the Outdoor Pool closed for the season in September. To accommodate patrons and compensate for the pool time, the Outdoor Pool was extended into the early fall season, until the weather no longer cooperated.
During the pool closure, several efficiency and safety upgrades to the Indoor Pool were also completed to continue the operation in a safer aquatic environment. The construction also resulted in extensive upgrades to enhance the overall swimming experience for all Aquaplex users, while extending the overall life expectancy of the facility and allow for more streamlined operations and preventive maintenance. With the completion of all repairs and necessary modifications, regular pool operations can begin, and patrons can be welcomed back through the Drumheller Aquaplex’s doors.
The Drumheller Aquaplex Indoor Pool will be commencing regular scheduled swimming again, with public swim, lane swim, Aquafit and swimming lessons returning on Friday, February 23, 2024. At this time, some additional repairs to the hot tub are being completed and, though it is undetermined whether it will be repaired in time for the opening weekend, the Town of Drumheller teams are hard at work to ensure that it will be available as soon as possible.
The Aquaplex will reopen with a Thrifty Swim ($2.00 per person and previously known as Toonie Swim) from 1:00pm until 4:00pm on Friday, February 23, 2024. For more information and updates about this opening weekend, please visit drumheller.ca.
Please visit https://www.drumheller.ca/play/aquaplex for updates and to find the latest Aquaplex schedules and programs. Stay tuned to drumheller.ca and the Drumheller Aquaplex Facebook page for an announcement on plans to celebrate the reopening of the Aquaplex.