RMWB council approves flood mitigation plans for last section of downtown

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Building a flood protection system along 2.5 kilometres of the Clearwater River will continue next year after concerns about crime and public safety halted construction in July.

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Council unanimously approved building a network of berms and retaining walls between Clearwater Drive and the Clearwater River. This section is called Reach 6. The plan, which was pitched last July, will cost $55.8 million.

The original plan to raise Clearwater Drive cost $94 million. The RMWB has spent $119 million on flood mitigation, which will have a final cost of $270 million.

A problem with raising Clearwater Drive is Imperial Oil and Suncor own contaminated lots along that stretch of road. Suncor does not want to sell their lot. Buying either lot puts the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) on the hook for environmental monitoring and cleanup.

Elliott White, a senior manager with the RMWB’s environmental services, added during a Tuesday council meeting that raising Clearwater Drive meant traffic could see into nearby apartments, and people living in the area would endure more noise and light pollution.

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Last July, council deferred choosing between the retaining wall and berm plan or raising Clearwater Drive. Councillors Ken Ball and Stu Wigle worried the wall and berm plan would create blindspots. Wigle wanted input from Wood Buffalo RCMP. Ball argued his point about safety by holding a piece of paper in front of his hand and asked “how many fingers do I have up?”

After meeting with police during the summer, a report to council suggested building trails on the berm, removing the trail directly adjacent to the Clearwater River, and installing lights and cameras. Even with those measures, the report warned “crime opportunities will exist.”

“Whether Clearwater Drive is raised, or structural mitigation is built, one option is not necessarily considered a safer approach as compared to the other,” the report states.

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The RMWB will work with the Fort McMurray Heritage Society to address impacts on the Heritage Shipyard. The shipyard will be moved to a location that has yet to be picked, but will remain along the river and be protected from flooding.

Council urged to act quickly on permanent downtown flood protection

White said this plan is a cost-effective and fast plan for permanent flood mitigation. Relying on the temporary inflatable dams, an idea that some councillors asked about last July, was thoroughly shot down by White.

Nowhere else uses them this often to protect so much of their community, he said. They can leak, pop, damage greenspace, and are targets for mischief and vandalism. The inflatable berms were not designed for long-term use and cost the RMWB $2 million annually. Using them also doesn’t remove the flood zone designation that the Alberta government have given downtown.

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“I can’t stand here as a professional engineer and tell you guys that these are a long term solution for this community,” White told council.

“Permanent structural mitigation is a far more robust and reliable form of protection when compared to seasonal mitigation.”

Councillor Kendrick Cardinal, who is also president of the Fort Chipewyan Metis Nation, said in July all flood mitigation construction should stop and downtown can rebuild when another flood hits the region. On Tuesday he repeated his concerns that the project harms the waterfront’s natural environment and removes Indigenous history.

“Our ancestors walked those areas and we still continue just to destroy it,” he said.

Dennis Fraser, the RMWB’s Indigenous and Rural Relations director and a Metis man, said administration has been mindful of impacts to Indigenous heritage during flood mitigation talks. However, he countered there is still lots of forest along the Clearwater River, and the Reach 6 area has already been disturbed.

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Cardinal was also told the area has seen erosion and damage from decades of road and rail construction projects. No other First Nation or Metis community in the region has publicly opposed the flood mitigation project.

Dianna de Sousa, president of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, argued permanent flood mitigation is needed for a vibrant waterfront and productive downtown.

“I know we balk at the cost and it’s a bit scary, but sometimes we do need to do what we need to do,” she said.

Wigle said he was happy with the feedback after meetings with Wood Buffalo RCMP, and was supportive of the motion.

Mayor Sandy Bowman urged the rest of council to support the motion. He said flood risks means many downtown businesses cannot get insurance or pay insurance premiums higher than what businesses elsewhere in Fort McMurray pay.

He also acknowledged Cardinal’s concerns about preserving the waterfront’s Indigenous heritage and natural beauty, and assured anyone with similar concerns these issues are taken seriously.

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vmcdermott@postmedia.com

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