Mountain View County Reeve Bruce Beattie says talks with three Alberta cabinet ministers regarding the need for flood mitigation efforts west of Sundre was constructive and worthwhile.
“To get three ministers in the room at one time is positive and I think we have a very honest and forthright response from all three ministers in terms of moving forward,” said Beattie.
Beattie met with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD) Minister Robin Campbell, Municipal Affairs Minister Greg Weadick, and Tourism, Parks and Recreation Minister Dr. Richard Starke at the McDougal Centre in Calgary on July 7.
The meeting was asked for by the county after it received a letter from Alberta Environment outlining concerns with the proposed flood prevention berm expansion project on the Red Deer River west of Sundre.
MVC has been working with the Town of Sundre and others on the berm project and has already received some approvals and some funding.
Application has been made under the Water Act to extend an existing berm within the flood plain of the Red Deer River in Sections 24 and 25 of 32-06-W5M and sections 19, 20 and 30 of 32-05-W5M. Part of the proposed berm would be built on Crown land.
A June 10 letter sent to MVC from Andrew Patton, the water administration engineer for the Red Deer/North Saskatchewan region of Alberta Environment, outlined a number of concerns with the proposed extended berm, and in particular the portion to be built on Crown land.
Regarding the proposed berm's location, Patton wrote, in part, that the barrier could “impact natural areas administered and protected by the Wilderness Areas, Ecological reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act.”
He said according to Rod Gow, park ecologist with the department, the berm will, in part, “essentially be the equivalent of a road (and) has the potential to significantly change access to these areas to the detriment of their designated purpose.”
During the July 7 meeting ministers Starke and Campbell told Beattie that they are prepared to review the matter with staff.
“Minister Campbell and minister Starke both agreed that they would sit down within the next couple weeks once Starke has reviewed the situation with his staff,” said Beattie. “He wants to find out if there are specific reasons they don't want that berm on that piece of land, on that property. The primary purpose was to get the minister to agree that they will review it. Minister Starke agreed that he would talk to his people and get back to us in the next couple weeks.”
An exact date for Starke to report back to the county was not set.
In the meantime, minister Campbell said the county can go ahead with flood modelling for the proposed new berm, said Beattie.
“We would take those things into consideration too before making a final decision to go ahead (with construction),” he said.
