The Province announced the approval of more than $1.2 million in grant funding to the District of Squamish for removing gravel from rivers for flood protection. The District of Squamish applied for the grant in September of 2010 under the Emergency Management Flood Protection Program. The project costs total more than $1.8 million with two-thirds funded by the Province and one-third of the total project costs funded by the District of Squamish. The deadline for completion is February 2013, but work can begin as early as this summer subject to approval from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
"We are very pleased to receive this funding from the Province and thank MLA Joan McIntyre for her support," said Mayor Greg Gardner. "The District of Squamish is committed to the safety of the community and the Province recognized the urgency and need to assist our flood protection program," continued Gardner.
The Project will remove a total volume of 125,000 cubic metres of sediment from three identified sites on the Squamish River and one site on the Cheekeye River. Removing the gravel will expand the available cross-section in the areas identified reducing water levels and increasing dyke freeboard. It will also reduce flood hazards for setback dykes and infrastructure during a large flood event and improve the level of protection provided by existing flood protection infrastructure.
"This is one of the largest gravel removal projects ever to be undertaken in the District of Squamish," stated General Manager of Engineering and Parks, Brian Barnett. "The total volume of gravel to be removed equals more than 10,000 truck loads of material," continued Barnett.
The District of Squamish has applied for grants over the years from Federal and Provincial governments. This year the District of Squamish completed the Squamish Dyke Riprap grant funded project ahead of schedule and under budget. The Riprap project will protect 350 metres of dyke along the Squamish River to improve flood protection. The District of Squamish has another application under review for funding with the BC Flood Protection Program to fund four projects which includes dyke repairs and upgrades and the installation of a water level monitoring station. The total funding application is $651,800.
This year's budget also dedicates $900,000 to address the seepage issue at the Eagle Run area in Brackendale.
Squamish is a vibrant seaside community located in the Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia, at the head of Howe Sound. Home to more than 16,000 people, Squamish is a young, energetic town with 60% of the population under the age of 40. Squamish offers a high quality lifestyle, entrepreneurial opportunities, two universities and a community that prides itself as the “Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada.”
Squamish River Gravel Removal Funding Application
