The Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA), Dustin Duncan, has announced a new long-term flood mitigation program for Saskatchewan communities. The Flood Damage Reduction Program (FDRP) takes a proactive and preventative approach in helping communities deal with long-term flood mitigation 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,” Duncan said. “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.”
Each spring since 2011, WSA has launched an emergency flood mitigation program for immediate support to protect Saskatchewan communities from flood damages. Starting in August, the emergency program will now transition to the FDRP, removing the emergency focus and looking more towards long-term projects.
Beginning on August 1, 2018, the new program will help municipalities in their proactive planning to address emergencies before they arise rather than repeatedly implementing temporary and reactive measures that stretch a community’s capacity in an emergency.
The new program will provide $1.5 million this year and will accept proposals from communities in the following four categories:
- Structural projects, where the municipality acts as the proponent for construction of permanent flood works;
- 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 to March 31, 2019. Once a municipality applies to the program, the proponent must have prior WSA approval and must secure any applicable regulatory requirements to undertake work.
Eligible projects will be cost-shared on a 50/50 basis between the WSA and the proponent. Applications will be accepted until October 30, 2018.
