MINTO – The Town of Minto is applying for a share of the latest round of National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) funding.
The town and the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) have been working toward improving flood plain mapping, watershed monitoring and remediation since 2010, explains a Dec. 1 report to council from treasurer Gordon Duff.
The report explains the work began with phasing out the Harriston trailer park and continued with adding watershed monitoring stations in 2014, and ground surveying sections of the flood line through Harriston in 2015.
“Unfortunately, before a suitable scale base mapping system could be found, Harriston and surrounding areas suffered an extreme flood event June 23, 2017,” the report states.
“The impact on residents, businesses and public properties was extensive.
“Staff and council took action to deal with the immediate emergency and continue to be committed to further actions which would mitigate damage from such events in the future.”
Duff notes the province recently unveiled criteria for a sixth intake of the NDMP program.
Minto was successful under intake five, which provided 50 per cent funding to perform a detailed analysis of numerous flood mitigation scenarios and narrow the choices to the top three. This work was completed by March 31.
The town also received funds through intake four, which were used for topographical mapping to facilitate project planning.
Intake five was expected to be the final round for the NDMP program, noted Duff, but intake six was recently announced for a limited range of applications.
“Kind of disappointingly, from our point of view, it does not support major capital work,” Duff told council.
The report explains Minto staff have consulted with engineers and the MVCA and agreed it would be possible to prepare final designs for the mitigation work on the section of the Maitland River west of Harriston, with funding through the NDMP.
“This part of the overall flood mitigation project is common to all three preferred scenarios detailed in the Harriston Flood Mitigation Study previously presented to council,” the report states.
“Portions of this work will be completed under the Drainage Act. Preparation to meet regulatory approvals and apply for necessary permits will be done to ensure that the project is closer to being shovel-ready in anticipation of further funding opportunities.
“A template to determine assessments under the Drainage Act for benefitting landowners will be included in the proposal.”
Duff explained, “It’s all work that has to be done and it’s necessary before we even think about a shovel in the ground.”
The proposed 2021-22 work is expected to cost approximately $468,000, with 50% of the funding proposed to come from the NDMP grant and the remaining 50% from the Minto water capital reserves, which were used for previous NDMP projects.
Council approved a staff recommendation to proceed with an application for the funding.
