Province puts $20 million into erosion control
CALGARY — The province is giving $20 million in funding to municipalities to deal with erosion damage caused by June’s mammoth flooding in southern Alberta.
Among the recipients is the City of Calgary, which will get an unspecified amount to deal with erosion on the Bow River.
Cougar Creek in Canmore, the Sheep River from Black Diamond to Okotoks, the Bow River in Lac Des Arcs, Lyons Creek in Crowsnest Pass, the Highwood River upstream of High River and the Elbow River in Bragg Creek will also have remediation work done, with other areas still to be identified.
Kyle Fawcett, associate minister responsible for flood recovery in southwest Alberta, said the government is stepping in because erosion of riverbanks poses a significant threat to many homeowners, but is not covered under the existing disaster recovery program.
“This is to get the ball rolling,” he said in an interview after announcing the program in Canmore.
“What we didn’t want to happen is to have municipalities stop and not proceed with any of this work because they weren’t sure there would be funding for it. We recognized there was a funding gap.”
The funding will cover erosion control measures including physical barriers such as rocks or boulders, and bridge abutments and pilings.
The province will not be eligible for reimbursement from the federal government for these expenses.
Fawcett said the province will divide the funding among municipalities as required and is prepared to provide more money if needed. Further details around Calgary will be released next week.