On Sept. 17, 2020, the County’s Public Works department provided County Council with an update on efforts to help mitigate overland flooding in the County.  

Several flood mitigation projects across the County of Grande Prairie are now complete, with others near completion or still underway. The work is addressing damage to County roads and infrastructure due to major overland flooding that occurred this spring.  

In August, Council approved an estimated $1.015 million to address several priority surface water management issues affecting County infrastructure. This is in addition to $2 million invested on road repairs and $515,000 on the Ditch Cleaning Program.  

The following progress report from County Public Works provides the current status on priority mitigation projects:  

Work completed:

  • Range Road 111A – Work included ditch cleaning and culvert installation.  
  • Range Road 114 – Work included ditch cleaning and installation of two culverts.  
  • Range Road 113 – Work included culvert installation and water redirection.  
  • Township Road 705 between Range Road 112 and Range Road 113 – Work included new culvert installation and culvert replacement.  
  • Crystal Creek Acres –Two culverts installed at the subdivision entrance.  
  • 50032A TWP RD 732 – Large pipe installed, and ditches cleaned.  

Work underway or near completion:

  • Meadow Brook and Autumn Wood area – Upon obtaining landowner permission, work to construct a drainage will commence.  
  • Sunnybrook – Work continues to locate an outlet for water.  
  • Clairmont – Planning underway to determine location to redirect water.  
  • Willow Wood/Maple Ridge Subdivision – Work to clean out culverts and install extensions of two centerline culverts on Range Road is partially complete. A new cross-culvert has been installed in the west end of Willow Wood. Upon landowner approval, work will commence to address surface water issues in Maple Ridge.  
  • Township Road 742 – Currently waiting for provincial government approval. Work will commence in the winter when the creek is frozen.  
  • Range Road 92 east to Range Road 85 along Township Road 710 – Culverts are installed and work is 95 per cent complete.  
  • Beaver, Muskrat and Beaver Dam Removal – Public Works continues to work with the Agriculture department to mitigate blockages where flooding has occurred by safely removing dams and problem wildlife.  

In addition to these projects, development of a new County Surface Water Management Policy is underway. The policy will serve as a guideline to manage and coordinate surface water management activities within the County. It also aims to help prevent future overland flooding issues.  

County is also working with Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) in identifying various situations where AEP is responsible for in relation to the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) (waste management & land reclamation), Water Act, Climate Change and Emissions Management Act, and Public Lands Act.