The communities of Cache Creek and Clearwater are two of several communities in B.C. to benefit from a $39 million funding announcement to help keep people safe during disasters and extreme-weather events.
Clearwater has been approved for $3.35 million for riprap reconstruction at Old North Thompson Highway Bridge. The District of Clearwater had identified a potential failure risk associated with the Old North Thompson Highway Bridge while updating and extending its floodplain mapping and flood-mitigation plan. This project is for design and reconstruction of riprap protection for the bridge abutments to repair the bridge and protect the community from flooding.
Mayor Merlin Blackwell of Clearwater said the district made the grant application last year after having an assessment done of one of the bridge.
” … with these 200-year flood incidents we are starting to see now we needed to have a really good look at the bridges we own in Clearwater,” said Blackwell. “The Old North Thompson Highway Bridge abutment, riprap and some of the bracing was starting to go and we had a bad fear that we could lose that critical bridge in one of these extreme weather events. We are grateful to the government to grant us this money so we can get ahead of this and make the necessary repairs as soon as possible.”
Blackwell explains that the bridge is “one of two crossings of the rivers in Clearwater” and added, “basically, if we lost it, that would be a really big deal. People would have to take a 20-minute detour to get from one side of the river to the other. These are key structures we need to protect. Yes! Over $3 million to solve a critical problem like this from the province, I’ll gladly accept that any day.”
Cache Creek, which is still recovering from the 2023 floods, will receive $300,000 for erosion mapping and debris-mitigation plan and a public education program.
The money for both projects is coming from B.C.’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF), which is dispersing approximately $39 million for more than 50 local disaster-risk reduction and climate-adaptation projects in B.C. This funding will be used by local governments and First Nations to make necessary changes, such as small-scale structural flood projects and improvements to community flood-mitigation strategies, including more accurate flood mapping.
It is hoped a new B.C. Flood Strategy will also build flood preparedness throughout the province.
“The climate crisis is here and we need communities to adapt and strengthen their defences against flooding and other extreme-weather events,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “We are working with local governments and First Nations to reduce disaster risk and better prepare people and communities for the impacts of climate change.”
The B.C. Flood Strategy will guide continued flood preparedness and mitigation work by all orders of government from now until 2035. The strategy will support communities to better prepare for flood impacts and strengthen their ability to respond to flood crises.
“After decades of piecemeal approaches to flood management, we have worked with communities to develop B.C.’s first integrated vision for provincial flood preparedness so we can keep people safe,” said Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. “The new B.C. Flood Strategy will guide our continued work with First Nations, local government agencies, the agricultural sector, industry and conservation organizations, as we take actions to reduce flood risk. Together, we can build stronger communities that are resilient to flood hazards in a changing climate.”