The Red Deer River Quality Control Committee has sent a letter to Premier Alison Redford requesting a face-to-face meeting to discuss its concerns about possible future flooding upstream of Sundre, says Myron Thompson, chairman of the committee.
The committee is now waiting on a response from the premier, and in the meantime is still collecting letters as part of its letter-writing campaign, he said.
"I think it's pretty obvious if you have a major flood that comes down that river and it comes through town it's going to cause a massive destruction and we don't want that to happen,î Thompson, who is also a Sundre town councillor, told the Gazette last week.
"We're requesting that the provincial government do something, looking into possibilities of what we can do to make sure that river doesn't flood. We need some work done on that river and we just want them to come up with some ideas of what they could do to make it better.î
The committee was formed last summer in an effort to address long-term flooding risks for the communities along the Red Deer River from upstream of Sundre to Gleniffer Lake.
Committee members include representatives from the Sundre and District Chamber of Commerce, and Sundre, Mountain View, Clearwater and Red Deer County residents.
Committee members are hoping the premier will agree to meet with them so they can hand deliver the 160 letters they have collected to date, he said.
Funds provided by the government for flood prevention construction is one of the goals of the committee, he said.
"We're open to suggestions and we have some of our own but we want to see what they (provincial government) have to say about the whole situation, and are they willing to do something,î he said.
Thompson said although the committee has wrapped up its meetings until further notice, letters from the public expressing concerns about the flood danger can still be dropped off at the Sundre museum.
"We had a good response, particularly from those who are greatly affected by what takes place on that river,î he said. "I'm really thankful for the amount of letters that were sent in and I'd like to thank the people for doing that and we will be in touch when we hear (from the premier).î
