Chilliwack is applying for a flood mitigation planning grant from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF).
If successful Chilliwack would undertake a ‘Fraser River Bathymetry and Channel Review Project,’ according to City of Chilliwack engineering staff.
The entire Fraser River frontage in Chilliwack would be studied with an eye to flood mitigation as part of that planning process.
”Bathymetry” is a process of measuring the bottom of the body of water, in this case the river, at different locations, trying to identify changes that could lead to problematic erosion.
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CEPF grants of up to a maximum of $150,000 were made available to UBCM municipalities aiming to increase resiliency, with the application deadline set for Jan. 24.
The ‘Flood Risk Assessment, Mapping & Mitigation Planning” funding stream was created under CEPF “to support eligible applicants to ensure they have accurate knowledge of the flood hazards they face and to develop effective strategies to mitigate and prepare for those risks,” according to UBCM program info online.
The City of Chilliwack was granted $750,000 in 2018 in the first intake of the CEPF, for riverbank rock armouring downstream of the CHIP intake at the Orchard Slough Check Dam.
Chilliwack staff also submitted a funding application in 2019 for the Carey Point Phase 1, focusing on riprap work in the amount of $740,000, for which they are awaiting a response.
Project funding for CEPF comes from a $80 million fund from the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure announced in 2017.
Northwest Hydraulic Consultants (NHC) is in the process of preparing an engineering proposal to carry out the planning work, and should City of Chilliwack be successful in the grant application the bathymetric work will go ahead.
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