The Town of Cochrane has plans to control erosion and mitigate flooding along the Jumpingpound Creek — all that’s needed is the funding to do it.
Suzanne Gaida, senior manager of community services, spoke to council about the current status of flood recovery during the Feb. 24 council meeting, including the findings of a recent study of the Bow Meadows pedestrian trail project.
Two projects have been outlined for the Jumpingpound Creek and the Bow Meadows pathway, said Gaida. She added that both projects aim to provide a more long-term solution for controlling erosion and mitigating flood effects in the area.
“First, we plan to start armouring the banks of the creek near the (George Fox Trail) bridge with rock to prevent further erosion,” said Gaida.
She added there has been discussion about raising a portion of the pathway that runs along the water — from the bridge heading north.
“Plans are to bring the trail up about a metre in total,” she remarked, adding that June’s flooding wasn’t the first time that pathway has washed away.
The second project will see the armouring of the creek continued down the bank. At this point, Gaida said she doesn’t know how much of the bank will need to be reinforced with rock.
“We’ll know more once we have the grant funding,” she said.
Gaida estimated a cost of $2 million for the first project, and about $1 million for the second.
The Town has applied for three grants through the FREC program. If funding is received, the third grant would be put towards protecting infrastructure — namely the water treatment plant in West Valley.
As of March 5, Gaida said the town had yet to hear back from the province in terms of funding.
Residents of the Bow Meadows community will be invited to an open house before recovery work begins along the Jumpingpound Creek. The consultation intends to clarify how the work would protect the community from future flooding and protect the Jumpingpound Creek from future erosion.
Construction of Riverfront Park is set to begin in May, including several repairs to rectify flood damage.
