REGINA — The Province of Saskatchewan is introducing a new long-term flood mitigation program for communities across the province.
Each spring since 2011, Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency (WSA) has initiated an emergency flood mitigation program to offer immediate support to communities suffering from flooding. Starting in August, the new Flood Damage Reduction Program (FDRP) will change the focus from emergency response to long-term projects.
“Since the start of WSA’s Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program in 2011, over 3,400 Saskatchewan clients have accessed $74 million to design and construct both temporary and permanent flood works,” said Dustin Duncan, the provincial minister responsible for the Saskatchewan WSA, in a statement.
“Shifting away from an emergency flood mitigation program to a permanent program allows communities to undertake long-term flood mitigation, reducing the risk of flooding in future years.”
The new FDRP program will provide $1.5 million this year and will accept proposals from communities in four categories: structural projects where the municipality is the proponent for permanent flood work; mitigation planning where municipalities undertake emergency planning or potential flood damage prevention construction design; flood plain mapping projects; and hydrologic and/or hydraulic investigations to develop risk assessments.
The program will cover eligible costs incurred up until March 31, 2019, and once a municipality applies to the program it must have prior WSA approval and must secure applicable regulatory requirements to undertake construction work, explains a release.
Eligible projects will be cost-shared equally between the WSA and the proponent, with applications closing by Oct. 30.
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