Strengthening flood resilience in Meadow Lake to protect public health and local waterways

MEADOW LAKE, SK, March 11, 2019 /CNW/ - Now more than ever, communities need help adapting to the frequent and intensifying weather events caused by climate change. Reducing the impact of natural disasters such as flooding is critical to keeping Canadian families safe, protecting local businesses and supporting a strong economy.

The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development, today announced funding for essential upgrades to Meadow Lake's water and wastewater management systems.

For residents of the east side of Meadow Lake, flooding is becoming an increasingly serious issue due to its geography and climate change. This puts extreme pressure on the more than 50-year-old sewer pipes, which run alongside the drinking water mains. Especially during spring thaws, large volumes of storm water create a high risk of ruptures that can leak contaminated water into the drinking water system.

This project will allow the community to replace all of its common trench sewer and water pipes. The City will also relocate its existing sewage lagoon to outside the city limits. This move will help protect Backwater Creek, which sits behind the existing lagoon and links to Meadow Lake, from the risk of raw sewage overflow in times of heavy flooding. This move will also help keep Meadow Lake clean, which is the raw water source for the local water treatment plant. 

Once completed, this work will increase the community's resilience to flooding and better protect up to 5,344 people. It will also reduce the number of residents who go without essential services during these incidents and cut long-term economic recovery costs.

The Government of Canada is contributing $8 million to this project through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.

Quotes

"Taking concrete steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change is more and more essential to ensuring a safe prosperous future for our kids and grandkids. This work will help keep people's drinking water clean, make sure they have uninterrupted access to essential services, and greatly reduce the costs of flood recovery."

The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development

"Extreme weather is becoming more severe, more frequent, more damaging and more expensive because of climate change. By investing in the infrastructure that protects our neighbourhoods, businesses, and families, we are building communities that can withstand future natural disasters and thrive for generations to come."

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety

"This project is an opportunity for us to make a significant investment in the future resiliency of our community. It allows us to modernize some of our oldest infrastructure and reduce the potential damage from flooding events."

His Worship, Gary Vidal, Mayor of Meadow Lake

Quick facts

• The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) is a $2-billion, 10-year program to help communities build the infrastructure they need to better withstand natural hazards such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts.
• DMAF is part of the federal government's Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, which is providing more than $180 billion over 12 years for public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities.
• Investing in green infrastructure that helps communities cope with the intensifying effects of climate change is an integral part of Canada's transition to a more resilient, low-carbon economy, which is among the commitments made under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

Associated links

Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/dmaf-faac/index-eng.html

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html 

Investing in Canada plan project map: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada