Fort McMurray wants to mitigate flood risks

Since the 2020 floods in Fort McMurray, the municipality has strengthened its defenses against rising waters. According to officials from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB), Fort McMurray is now better prepared for future flooding.

James Semple, director of the region's project management office, says the goal is to prepare the municipality for 100-year floods, like the one Fort McMurray experienced in 2020, to reduce damage to infrastructure.

From the point of view of permanent mitigation structures, significant work has been carried out.

The municipality has already spent $119 million on flood protection structures, but the total cost of the project is about $270 million, according to a statement on its website.

A vulnerable place

Fort McMurray is located at the confluence of the Athabasca and Clearwater. When the ice on these two rivers breaks in the spring, it can create ice jams in the waterways, causing them to overflow in the lower parts of the city.

Ice jams tend to form a little before Fort McMurray, where the Athabasca changes shapesays Nadia Kovachis, river hydraulics and ice engineer at the Alberta River Forecast Centre.

The 2020 flood was caused by a massive 25 km ice jam on the Athabasca. Water from the two rivers then flooded the city center, forcing around 12,000 people from their homes. The cost of the damage was $520 million.

A report later found that the municipality's flood mitigation system was incomplete and faulty.

According to Nadia Kovachis, mitigation measures are very important because it is difficult to predict when flooding from ice jams will occur.

More infrastructure under construction

In September, the City Council approved continued work on flood mitigation structures between the river Clearwater and the road Clearwaterwhich runs along the river. This work is the final phase of the flood mitigation plan in downtown Fort McMurray, according to the municipality.

James Semple reminds us that the objective is to raise the level around the lower town and areas likely to be flooded, to a height that reduces the risk of flooding.

The other measure is the construction of the anti-flood wall, visible at the intersection of Gordon Avenue and Riedel Street, which serves as a gateway for residents.

Erin Sieger, emergency manager for the municipality, says the municipality begins to carefully prepare for a possible flood season in early spring.

It's a sentiment shared by Nadia Kovachis, who points out that there are no long-term indicators that could predict a flood in advance. The amount of snow left on the ground and the speed of its melting play an essential roleshe believes.

With information from Dennis Kovtun.