Flood recovery passes $1M

Photo: Dave Ogilvie

The City of West Kelowna will have to come up with a little more than $1 million for damage caused by this year's floods.

The $1.048 million is the city's 20 per cent share of flood recovery.

Total flood recovery was pegged at $5.24 million, of which the provincial Disaster Financial Assistance program picks up 80 per cent.

In order to qualify for the 80 per cent provincial payment, the city must demonstrate it has the necessary budget to cover the entire cost.

To that end, council Tuesday approved an additional expenditure of $2.8 million for 2017-2026 financial plan and $2.39 million for the 2018-2027 financial plan.

In its report, staff said 45 different repair projects have been identified, many of which are similar in nature, including failed waterfront retaining walls, pavement buckling, contaminated storm water pipes and creek bed aggradation.

Aggradation is the deposit of cobble and sediment from banks and deposited in the creeks lower reaches.

Staff indicate both Smith and Powers creeks have been severely affected, reducing the water-holding capacity of both, increasing the potential for a re-occurance even with normal water flows next year.

Work has already begun to dredge out the Powers Creek Water Treatment Plant intake pond that was significantly infilled.