The District of Houston council is asking a combined federal-provincial infrastructure program for $1,381,045.80 to help finance a flood prevention project in the Silverthorne Creek drainage area.
That would amount to 73.33 per cent of what’s needed with the remaining $485,232,28 coming from the District to complete the $1,866,276 financing for the project.
Its scope of work was identified as the most cost effective of three options presented in a study prepared for council last fall. The most expensive option came in at $2.5 million.
The Kingston and Associates study said historic spring flooding events have reportedly increased since 1997 because two existing systems to drain waters can’t handle the flows from snowmelt to the Bulkley River.
Culverts were blocked and ditches compromised, the study said of problems impeding proper drainage.
The study noted that two flooding events in 2017 and 2018 resulted in flooding of Finning Canada’s property, flooding of Monster Industries property, water flowing over CN tracks, and flooding of the Morice River Forest Service Road.
Specifically, the study outlined what it called “probable seasonal inundation of septic systems at the Silverthorne Trailer Park, home to approximately 25 residential manufactured homes.”
“There have been no reported problems, however the regulatory requirements for these septic systems to lie above the 25-year flood event is almost certainly not being met,” the study noted.
It said there’s a potential for contamination of local wells, including those at the trailer park.
The option chosen by council to pursue would involve running drainage pipes under both the CN Rail line and the second crossing of a CN Rail spur line and the Morice River Road.
Construction of a berm at Monster Industries would also take as would work to connect Oxbow Lake to a reclaimed gravel pit with an outlet control installation at the northwest outlet to the gravel pit and construction of upgraded channel between this location and the Morice River Road.
“This project would be eligible as an infrastructure project designed to increase the District’s capacity to manage stormwater and reduce the introduction of liquid waste into the environment,” fire chief and bylaw enforcement officer Jim Daigneault wrote in a document to council outlining costs and considerations.
He did tell council that the infrastructure grant program is subject to “stacking rules” by both the federal and provincial government.
That means that any other money received from any other senior government sources would be counted toward the 73.33 per cent the governments would provide in total.
Daigneault therefore recommended that if council pursued additional grants to help make up its 26.67 per cent of the cost, “it would be wise to pursue [them] from a grant sourced that is not funded by senior levels of government.”
Council could use its own reserves, use its surplus or borrow money to be repaid by property owners in the area but each has its own drawbacks, he added.
