A public hearing will be held on Oct. 9 for a bylaw creating a moratorium on subdivision and development in portions of the McDougal Flats west of Sundre.
Motions giving first reading to the bylaw and setting the public hearing date were passed on Aug. 13.
The bylaw (LU 39/14) is being put forward following the release of the Golder Associates McDougal Flats Flood Hazard Study report that found portions of the McDougal Flats area along the Red Deer River may be in a floodplain.
The Golder study saw the examination of past flood areas and of the existing banks and river channels along a 20-kilometre stretch of the Red Deer River upstream of Sundre.
Portions of the study area have been hit by overland flooding in past years, including in 2005 and 2013.
Although the Golder study has not been officially accepted by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD), the county was given a look at the interim report results last month.
That report identified a portion of the study area as a floodway and another portion as flood fringe.
The floodway portion includes a portion of the Molmac subdivision, and the entire area south of the Sundre Airport, including the Coyote Creek Golf & RV Resort and the Waldren subdivision.
The study area is bordered by Rge. Rd. 63 on the west, Rge. Rd. 53 on the east, between township roads 322 and 324. The district is known locally as the McDougal Flats area.
Under the bylaw, the construction of new structures in the study area would be prohibited, with agriculture, roads, bridges, flood and erosion infrastructure and recreational vehicles on wheels in existing recreational lots exempted.
“Generally speaking, first readings (of bylaws) are always passed,” said Mountain View County reeve Bruce Beattie. “We wish to have the public have an opportunity to have input and so there will be a public hearing as a special council meeting.”
Asked if he believes the moratorium would be supported by people in McDougal Flats, he said, “I would expect that people who have property in that area are concerned about what the impact will be on their property. We are also concerned about the impact of flooding and the potential for flooding in the area, so we are trying to protect the interests of the landowners in that area.
“We need to make sure we are in compliance before we issue any permits in an area that could be potentially impacted by flooding. We've seen the costs when there is flooding and they can be significant.”
If it receives third reading, the bylaw would be deemed to be repealed on Feb. 28, 2015, unless council takes further action.
The Oct. 9 public hearing will be held at the county office.
"We wish to have the public have an opportunity to have input."- MVC reeve Bruce Beattie
