Wow, let’s get this flood debris retention structure under construction already.
Being that it’s been decided the structure is critical for the future safety of citizens and houses along Cougar Creek, and nearby infrastructure like the train tracks, our highways and Elk Run facilities, the project needs to move forward.
As it is, memories of the 2013 flood in the Bow Valley are dimming and, because of Cougar Creek’s generally meek nature, if the retention structure isn’t built soon, questions will begin to arise as to whether tens of millions of dollars really need to be poured into a structure.
At this point, if nothing else, when talking about flooding, the misleading old 1-in-100 year flood term has gone the way of the dodo, as it should have. That term was not only misleading, but possibly damaging if municipal governments placed too much emphasis on it.
There’s little doubt that 1-in-100 years had some calming effect on decisions being made. Trouble is, a 1-in-100 flood could happen in a given year, only to be followed by one the next year, as the next 1-in-100 flood.
Hindsight, of course, now illustrates that homes shouldn’t have been built on the banks of Cougar Creek, no matter how tame it seems to be 99 per cent of the time. But, much like it now appears many homes in Canmore likely should never have been built because of encroachment on wildlife corridors, things change over time, as do beliefs and science-based research can change opinions.
Of course, it’s not just in Canmore that a moratorium on home construction near creeks and waterbodies some time ago would have been a good idea. Everywhere, in Canada, the U.S. and other regions, the draw of water as a magnet for development is there.
Unfortunately, what sometimes results from humans being drawn to water when eyeing building sites can result in homes and, worse yet, lives lost in mudslides, bank erosion, floods, rising sea levels, drownings in man-made community lakes, etc.
But back to the flood debris retention structure.
Another reason to get heavy equipment in place to begin construction is the already rising cost of the project. Without a shovel moving a single rock, the pricetag has risen from an estimated $39 million to $48 million, with contingency funds incorporated.
Yet another reason for getting started on the project is that, with the downturn in the economy, construction companies could likely more easily be found to bid on construction tenders at this time; and possibly with a beneficial budget.
There’s little point in waiting to build until Alberta’s economy is back on track and the Cougar Creek project would be then be deemed, and priced, as a premium project.
We realize the fact the construction site is on provincial wildland is problematic, but so is putting off construction until costs climb further or possibly another flood hits. A land exchange to get construction under way really needs to be made with an eye to wrapping up discussion.
Nothing can now be done concerning the homes currently sitting along Cougar Creek, or in other steep creek neighbourhoods, but something can be done as far as the retention structure goes – get it built.
It’s almost unfortunate Cougar Creek doesn’t have a reliable flow; maybe a small hydro project could have been incorporated as a means of cost recovery.
