North Perth Council received information on a project to help the municipality update their Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping in the area.
CAO Kris Snell says Natural Resources Canada launched a program earlier this year, and North Perth is partnering with the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority to get the local flood mapping updated.
“Our flood mapping, currently right now are maps from 1976, ’86 and some edits from 1992. So this is a program where we can apply to the federal government to pay for up to 50 percent of the cost to update the flood mapping in North Perth,” says Snell.
Snell shares that the cost to do so will be roughly $135,000, so an approved grant would cover half of that, with the municipality picking up the rest.
“This is to identify areas that are susceptible to flooding and flood hazards. So then, we would use that planning information to better plan our communities so that we’re not having development in flood prone areas,” Snell says.
North Perth does have some current flood concerns, mostly during the thaw period after winter.
“Through the spring flood we do have some certain areas in the south part of our municipality that are susceptible to roadside flooding. The conduit that was built in the late ’80’s early ’90’s, it has so far worked perfectly as a flood control method for North Perth,” Snell adds.
Council approved a request to apply for the grant, and Snell says they hope to hear from the government relatively soon, as they have until March 2024 to complete the project.
