The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency will be creating permanent flood protection infrastructure in Cumberland House.
On Wednesday, minister responsible Scott Moe announced $950,000 in funding to create permanent flood protection infrastructure in the northern village, as well as the Cumberland House Cree Nation.
“Cumberland House is one of our strong northern communities and is home to a very unique landscape,” Moe said in a release. “This community is essentially surrounded by water and our government felt a permanent solution to ensure a higher level of flood protection is an important investment to protect the community.”
Temporary flood protection dikes were built in the community in 2013 and this investment will be used to make the temporary dikes permanent.
Cumberland House village councillor Gary Carriere says he was excited to hear the announcement.
“We are in the situation where we have been jeopardized by floods over the past few years here,” said Carriere. “So it is important that we upgrade our infrastructure to protect our community.”
In 2011, evacuation costs due to a flood in the surrounding area were estimated to have cost the government around $1.5 million.
“We are faced with evacuating the community at times, and that is stressful for the community,” said Carrierre. “So the protection definitely means a lot to us because we would rather stay home than have to leave every time they predict floods.”
An independent study after the 2011 flood showed that every dollar the government invests in flood protection will save them $20 in flood-related damages.
Carriere says although he is excited about the investment in the flood protection dikes, there is still a lot of infrastructure work to be done in the community.
The local councillor says a Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration berm built in the 1950’s along the river delta has begun to show areas of seepage.
“There is a lot of infrastructure still in jeopardy because of where they put these temporary berms,” said Carriere. “A proper fix would be to upgrade the PFRA berm that was built in the ’50s.”
The Water Security Agency predicts the new permanent flood protection dikes will give the community up to one-in-100-year flood protection.