Gatineau receiving flood protection investment
August 6, 2019
By
CCE
The project to build and rehabilitate four structural assets and three natural assets calls for an investment of $56.2 million including $22.5 million from the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
The federal government will be investing over $22.5 million on a project to make essential improvements to the stormwater and runoff management systems in the Wabassee Creek watershed in the city of Gatineau area.
Flooding in Gatineau has been a result of its geographical location and its sizeable watershed, and weather phenomena in recent years have resulted in unprecedented overflows that have affected homes, businesses, parks, trails and roads.
The project, which will also receive over $33.7 million from the city of Gatineau, will build and rehabilitate four structural assets and three natural assets in the Wabassee Creek watershed, in the Lac-Beauchamp sector, to improve its water storage capacity.
It will also develop a rainwater retention area and partially replace pipes with ditches to create additional retention areas, preventing damage to inhabited areas.
According to a release from Infrastructure Canada, once completed, the work will increase the community’s flood resilience and better protect over 12,500 people. It will also reduce by 91% the number of residents who go without essential services during floods, reduce the local economic impact by 80% and save long-term recovery and replacement costs.
