B.C. funds 2 projects reduce the threat of flooding in Golden, B.C.

The B.C. government is putting funds behind two projects in Golden, B.C., one to raise the dikes along the Kicking Horse River and another for a water strategy to evaluate climate risks.

The town’s $1.24-million dikes project will raise the current dikes to one metre above the one-in-200-year flood evaluation, the government said in a news release. The raised dikes will reduce the risk of flooding from ice jams during the winter and high water during the summer.

The project includes rock armouring, dike face reshaping, vegetation removal and restoration, and fish habitat restoration, the province said.

“British Columbians are concerned about the increasing effects of climate change and the emergencies we’re already experiencing – like drought, flooding, extreme heat and wildfires,” Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, said in the release. “By funding local, on-the-ground projects, our government is helping First Nations and local governments protect their communities and keep people safer from future emergencies.”

Another $135,000 from the province will go towards a water strategy that will evaluate climate-related risks on water infrastructure and inform water demand management and conservation.

Golden Mayor Ron Oszust said in the release that witnessing the effects of climate change across the province reinforces the importance of building resilience to climate change in our communities. “This funding will help support Golden in developing an updated integrated water plan, making sure our infrastructure and systems can continue to provide clean drinking water to our community now and well into the future and support the completion of important improvements to the Kicking Horse River dike to protect Golden from the risks of river flooding,” Oszust said.

Funding for both projects is through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) under the Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Adaptation stream.

In February, B.C. added $180 million to CEPF, bringing the total provincial investment in the program to $369 million since its establishment in 2017. More than $165 million has been provided for approximately 1,600 projects to date.

Intake for the current stream is open until next March.