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Room for the River in the Red Deer River Basin Advice to the Government of Alberta

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Room for the River in the Red Deer River Basin Advice to the Government of Alberta Room for the River in the Red Deer River Basin Advice to the Government of Alberta June 4, 2015 Submitted by: Submitted to: P. Kim Sturgess, P.Eng., FCAE Cathy Maniego and Andrew Wilson CEO Resilience and Mitigation Branch WaterSMART Solutions Ltd. Environment and Sustainable Resource Development #200, 3512 - 33 Street NW 205 JG O'Donoghue Building Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A6 7000 - 113 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 5T6 Please note: The Room for the River process applied in the Red Deer River Basin and the subsequent Room for the River report are not government policy. The advice in this report will be taken under consideration by the Government of Alberta to help inform sound water management and policy decisions. This was not a public consultation process. The project was carried out with a technical working group, the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance, and the Red Deer River Municipal Users Group to provide advice to the Government of Alberta. It is a step toward developing a comprehensive inventory of flood mitigation projects and all options were put forward for consideration. Options presented in this report reflect concepts suggested by contributors; their inclusion in this report should not be viewed as an endorsement. i Executive Summary In the nearly two years since the 2013 floods in Alberta, many mitigation options for the province’s flood-prone areas have been identified, studied, and implemented by the Government of Alberta (GoA), municipalities, non-government organizations, and others. In the fall of 2014 the GoA announced that it wanted to look more closely at the approach taken by the Netherlands to manage flooding in the Rhine River branches – the Room for the River program. A pilot project was undertaken in the Bow River Basin in late 2014 to consider the extent to which Dutch measures could be adapted and applied to reduce vulnerability of people and infrastructure and improve the overall quality of the Bow and Elbow rivers. A secondary objective was to develop and pilot a systematic Room for the River framework and process that, if deemed appropriate, could be replicated in other basins throughout the province. Building on the Bow Basin pilot, a second initiative was carried out in spring 2015 in the Red Deer River Basin. As with the Bow project, contributors reflected the many interests in this basin, including water managers, watershed groups, municipalities, environmental groups, domain experts, and the interested public. The ten river segments examined for the Red Deer project included four on the Red Deer River main stem plus six tributaries (Fallentimber Creek, Bearberry Creek, James River, Raven River, Little Red Deer River and Medicine River). An initial scan was done for each segment, identifying examples of and opportunities for mitigation in four categories: conveyance, diversion, detention, and defence. The most promising opportunities were identified by project contributors who also provided feedback on the Room for the River approach and its potential application in Alberta. Contributors noted that it is essential to talk about flood mitigation in the broader context of water management, including impacts of potential options on water supply and water quality. The Red Deer Basin is home to a diversity of human activities, and interests vary depending on the segment or tributary being considered. What happens on land affects the rivers, and any Room for the River-type program must aim to develop resilience and mitigation throughout the watershed, looking at environmental, economic, and social components and connections across the whole basin. Various flood response mechanisms and practices are already in place in the Red Deer River Basin. The Dickson Dam, although not built to manage floodwaters, was operated effectively in recent floods and has played an important role in flood mitigation. Seasonal operational schemes are continually refined to help manage flood flows. The City of Red Deer has many setbacks with few homes in its 1:100 year floodway. With respect to conveyance, Alberta Transportation has an extensive inventory of bridges and roads creating pinch points and the issues that may need to be addressed. And finally, the current warning system appears to be doing the job below Dickson Dam in terms of communications between dam operators, Red Deer County, and other counties downstream. The most promising opportunities focused on conveyance, detention, and defence. There is a strong need to reconsider how we design and build bridges and roads, and to ensure we are building to more resilient standards. In areas that are susceptible to repetitive flooding, it was suggested that rebuilding not occur at all. Land management practices need to improve; in the headwaters, for example, the linear footprint, including the use of off-highway vehicles on erosion prone slopes, should be reduced. In other parts of the basin, pipeline crossings need to be assessed and reviewed to guard against leaks and ruptures under flood conditions. Stronger efforts are needed throughout the basin to retain, restore, and protect wetlands, which store water and replenish groundwater supplies. Contributors ii recognized the importance of protecting critical infrastructure such as municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities, and they supported the strategic use of berms and dikes. Relocation of existing infrastructure did not emerge as a readily feasible option, largely because vulnerable communities such as Drumheller and highly developed parts of Sundre would need to be completely moved. Nevertheless, moving out of the floodplain remains the only way to ensure that people and property are not flooded in the future. Selective relocation could be a cost-effective option for smaller communities or individual homeowners. At the very least, the cost of potentially moving smaller communities or individuals out of the floodplain should be assessed. When relocation is not feasible, defence mechanisms such as berms and dikes are needed. In other areas susceptible to flooding, the focus was on establishing and enforcing adequate setbacks so that development does not occur in these areas and future relocations and buyouts can be avoided. To help address potential floodplain development, it was suggested that having clear regulations that are supported by the GoA makes flood mitigation strategies much easier to implement. Contributors offered advice on a potential Room for the River program for Alberta, suggesting that: An integrated, multi-barrier approach is essential. Any program that the GoA might initiate should include both mandatory requirements and voluntary components. There are important lessons from the Dutch Room for the River program, but an Alberta program should not be marketed as a “Dutch initiative.” Multiple perspectives are needed on a wide range of potential flood mitigation options before any program is developed. This will help make the program relevant to local and regional stakeholders. Ongoing engagement, commitment, and funding will be needed from all levels of government. Transparency and sharing of information are critical to identify solutions and coordinate implementation. A program like this should be used to encourage collaboration among the water projects in the province and help avoid duplication. Similar to the Bow River Basin pilot project, contributors to this project noted that a Room for the River-type program could be a valuable component of the water management discussion in Alberta. The objectives, scope, and governance should be clearly defined appropriate to the Alberta context and well communicated. Objectives should be more broadly defined than in the Netherlands’ approach to perhaps focus on long-term watershed resilience, encompassing safety and security, water supply, and water quality. It will be essential to raise individual and community awareness and understanding about watershed functions and the effects of flooding. And, perhaps most importantly, the program would need long term political, local, and financial support and accountability. The approach used in this project is a way to fuel momentum and interest in water management, support the Water for Life goals, build on the expertise and experience of the water community, and provide a long-term program for thoughtful and effective water management and flood mitigation throughout Alberta. iii Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... ii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Purpose and Context ................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Building on the Bow Room for the River Experience .................................................................. 2 2. The Room for the River Management Approach ....................................................................... 3 2.1 The Dutch Approach ................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 The Southern Alberta Context .................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Scope of the Red Deer Room for the River Project ..................................................................... 8 2.4 Process and Approach..............................................................................................................
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