Calgary and Area Flood Thread

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Calgarypuck. Where Hockey and amateur hydrology collides.

Who are you calling 'Amateur?'

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Bownesian

I was thinking more on the outside of the bike path at the top of the bank, but sure, that works.

[Bownesian]

The information session did not have too much new information beyond the press release and the document that we received back in December. The purpose of this meeting was to solicit resident questions and concerns, gather them all together with the idea that they will answer some of the questions in a future presentation.

There was a presentation at the beginning then we were left to discuss things with a smaller table of residents along with a city outreach person.

Some new to me information:

The proposed berm is part of a three-part solution for flood preparedness. The first part of the solution is the agreement with Transalta and others for controlling water levels in the Ghost, Bearspaw and the Kananaskis dams (which have been in place for a while).

The second part of the solution is that they are exploring building another dam upstream and they have three locations in mind, but that solution will take decades because it involves 3 levels of government plus the native bands upstream.

The berm is the third part and they want to move ahead with it because it is something the city can do on its own. It will not be built to withstand the 2013 level of flooding, but instead will be intended for a 20 year flood event (like 2005) with some overbuild.

The idea is that with the three in combination (berm, dam control and new dam), flood damage will be mitigated up to the 100 year flood level (which 2013 was not), but that any individual measure will not work on its own.

The berm will also be built as a result of negotiation with each river-lot owner. The city will not be appropriating that land, but rather will be purchasing a permanent easement on each lot from each homeowner, and may well adjust the design based on individual owners' concerns. (I'm skeptical about this last part)

I asked about Montgomery and got no answer, but I would be surprised if there isn't something planned for there. I also asked about the effect of clear-cut forestry in the Bow River catchment and whether that was considered in the cost benefit analysis.

Most residents were concerned about berm effectiveness because most of the houses are built on gravel and so we have serious groundwater concerns. The answer we got was that they will be drilling holes to do a hydrological study, but that they don't mean to dig all the way down to bedrock beneath the berm, rather the rough plan would be for a 1m excavation and clay fill to make the groundwater flow path be more torturous and slower.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Basically my understanding, having asked an engineer about it, is that the berms won't make any difference in the event of a hundred year flood, because the river's water level will be too high. They'll be underwater with everything else if there's a flood that bad (or even a 2013 flood).

[Bownesian]

The idea is that the proposed new dam will knock a 1/100 year flood back some, the existing dams (and mitigation measures like gravel bar mediation they have done/are doing) will knock the flood back some and the 1/20 year berms will keep the rest out.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Bownesian

The information session did not have too much new information beyond the press release and the document that we received back in December. The purpose of this meeting was to solicit resident questions and concerns, gather them all together with the idea that they will answer some of the questions in a future presentation.

There was a presentation at the beginning then we were left to discuss things with a smaller table of residents along with a city outreach person.

I didn't catch the story on CBC this morning but their headline was that some people felt 'blindsided' by what the City presented last night. Interesting that you feel there was nothing really new. I'll have to look for the link (it is not up on their website yet) to see what were the issues some people had.

[Bownesian]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

I didn't catch the story on CBC this morning but their headline was that some people felt 'blindsided' by what the City presented last night. Interesting that you feel there was nothing really new. I'll have to look for the link (it is not up on their website yet) to see what were the issues some people had.

We got a 4-page pamphlet notice thing in the mail in mid-December which could have been characterized as a blindside back then, but that was a month ago. I suppose if someone threw it away or didn't read it, they may have been surprised about the announcements last night.

Having read that handout carefully, there really wasn't a ton that was new last night. The surprises (to me) were the upstream dam proposal and the prospect that they will be looking to "acquire" land from landowners to build the berm on, but that was later clarified to mean likely acquiring a permanent easement.

[Lubicon]

CBC has the story up now, it looks like it is the berm that is upsetting some people.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...pset-1.4491072

Honestly berms aren't that big a deal in my view. I grew up in a town that has flooding issues as well and in the 11 years I was there the river flooded twice and they built up the existing berms three times (once after each flood and it has not flooded since the last time). The work was done well and the dikes are seeded over with grass and are not obtrusive at all. Only difference I can see is in Bowness some homes back onto the river so the berm would be on private land partially whereas in my hometown it was all public land along the river.

[OldDutch]

Sooo too early to hit the anxiety button?

This has to be some kind of record for Calgary at least. Hopefully it all fell here.

[Joborule]

I would figure the concern would be moreso on how late the snowpack melts, and how much rain occurs in June. Nothing to cause alarm from big snowstorms in the winter.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Sooo too early to hit the anxiety button?

This has to be some kind of record for Calgary at least. Hopefully it all fell here.

This is my thought with all this snow, I hope it starts melting early and consistently. No giant melt spikes and done by May please

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Sooo too early to hit the anxiety button?

This has to be some kind of record for Calgary at least. Hopefully it all fell here.

We were talking about it yesterday, definitely in my mind already.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

We were talking about it yesterday, definitely in my mind already.

The real question is what level is the FLOODTRON at?

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by nik-

This is my thought with all this snow, I hope it starts melting early and consistently. No giant melt spikes and done by May please

Even concerned about snow on my property. There has never been so much. I have a sump, but even it melting through basement walls is in my mind. I think I am going to shovel as much away from my property but there is no where to put it.

[Otto-matic]

https://rivers.alberta.ca/

They updated the website to get all the flow charts and averages. This is my Flood Snek .

[nik-]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Even concerned about snow on my property. There has never been so much. I have a sump, but even it melting through basement walls is in my mind. I think I am going to shovel as much away from my property but there is no where to put it.

Well that answer is obvious. Your neighbour's yard.

[Bigtime]

<OldDutch rolling up on my house with a wheelbarrow full of snow>

[nik-]

We should all pitch in on a flamethrower

[Fuzz]

I would think it would be easier just to dump gas on your walkways and light it on fire.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by nik-

We should all pitch in on a flamethrower

http://fmobserver.com/fargo-man-arre...-flamethrower/