The Alberta Flood Mitigation Symposium outlines principles and frameworks for flood recovery focusing on preparedness, collaboration, and enhancing community resilience. Key elements include watershed management, flood risk policies, and local mitigation measures to reduce the risk to communities, infrastructure, and the environment. The document also emphasizes the importance of efficient decision-making processes and the integration of local and provincial plans for sustained flood management efforts.

1. Alberta Flood Mitigation Symposium
Andre Corbould
Chief Assistant Deputy Minister,
Flood Recovery Task Force
October 4, 2013

2. 2

3. 3
Recovery Principles
• Leadership and local autonomy
• Collaboration and coordination
• Partnerships and inclusiveness
• Communication
• Timeliness and flexibility
• Fairness across flood-affected
communities
• Resilience
• Building Alberta together
• Psychological and emotional
wellness
• Individual and family
empowerment
• Safety
• Capture lessons learned
• Plan for transition to normal
services
• Accountability

4. 4
Recovery Elements
PEOPLE
•Safety
•Health
•Social well-being
•Mitigation
ENVIRONMENT
•Biodiversity, ecosystems &
natural resources
•Amenities
•Waste & pollution
management
•Mitigation
RECONSTRUCTION
•Residential & commercial
buildings
•Utilities
•Infrastructure, communications &
transport planning
•Parks and recreation
•Mitigation
ECONOMY
•Individual
•Small Enterprise
•Medium Enterprise
•Large Enterprise
•Tourism and Parks
•Mitigation
LOCAL
COMMUNITY
and
STAKEHOLDER
S

5. Flood Mitigation Framework –
Purpose and Principles
• Seek to increase preparedness, protection and resilience
– Reduce risk to people, property, communities, infrastructure, environment
and economy
– Clarify 1:100 standard (1% chance in any given year)
• Assess, select, coordinate and implement mitigation
measures and policies. Evaluate based on:
– Understanding of causes and analysis of risks
– Scientific and engineering assessment of impact and efficacy
– Social, environmental and economic cost/benefit
• Flooding cannot be prevented, but we can be better
prepared

6. Flood Mitigation Framework –
Decision Making Process

7. Key Elements of Mitigation
• Overall Watershed Management
• Flood Modelling, Prediction, and Warning Systems
• Flood Risk Management Policies
• Water Management and Mitigation Infrastructure
• Erosion Control
• Local Mitigation Initiatives – by municipality
• Individual Mitigation Measures for Homes

8. Watershed Management –
“System of Systems”
Approach
Focus on river basins where
flooding and drought risks are
highest
Consider each river basin as a
system
Implement the best
combination of upstream, local,
individual and policy-based
mitigation measures to protect
against 1:100 flooding events
Seek to enhance the ability to
protect against water shortages
as well

9. Flood Modelling, Prediction
and Warning Systems
• Post Flood Assessments Underway
– ESRD working with local communities
• Incorporate best practices and technology
– ESRD and Environment Canada
– Other jurisdictions – e.g. Colorado, Netherlands
• Updated Flood Hazard Mapping
– $8.7 million funding approved
– accelerated mapping of new areas
– updated mapping of high risk communities.

10. • Floodway Relocation
– Voluntary buyout of homes in affected areas
– 100% of tax assessed value
– Maximum 254 properties potentially affected
• Future Floodway Development Restrictions
– Amendments to the Municipal Government Act to prohibit new
development in floodways to be proposed in fall legislative session.
• Minimum Individual Mitigation Measures
– Homeowners in the flood fringe who access DRP for repairs or rebuilds
must implement minimum mitigation measures in order to remain eligible
for DRP in future.
Flood Risk Management Policies and
Individual Mitigation Measures

11. Flood Recovery Erosion Control –
Activities in Progress
• FREC Program Overview
– Grants available to FNs and municipalities that declared a SOLE in 2013
– $116 million approved for urgent erosion control and smaller-scale community
mitigation projects
– Priority given to projects that will be completed by Spring 2014
• Examples of Approved FREC Projects
– FREC Grant Approvals
• Canmore : Cougar Creek
• Calgary: 52nd
St NW
• Currently in FREC grant review process: 4 Calgary, 2 MD of Bighorn, 2 MD of
Rocky View, 1 Piikani Nation and 1 Mountain View County
– Engineering Approvals (64 projects)
• Canmore, Sundre, Siksika Nation, Cochrane, Okotoks, Crowsnest Pass, High
River, MD of Foothills, Black Diamond, and Turner Valley (Note: others being
reviewed).

12. Local Mitigation Measures –
Activities in Progress
• Emergency Preparedness
– Enhancing emergency stockpiles for all communities (not just for floods)
• High River
– Scraping of Highwood River
– Demolition and removal of CP rail bridge
– Town finalizing plan for local dykes/berms
– Independent analysis of Hamptons flooding
• Medicine Hat
– City has developed local mitigation plan, including backflow prevention,
improved berm and dyking system, and lift station upgrades.
• Calgary
– Flood mitigation panel (Wolf Keller) established and work underway.

13. Water Management
and Mitigation
• Full range of measures being evaluated, including:
– Operational changes
– Natural systems
– New and existing infrastructure
– Consideration of land use impacts and groundwater issues
• Government of Alberta Mitigation Team – Advisors:
– WaterSMART
– WPACs
– APEGA
– Insurance Bureau of Canada
– TransAlta
• Mitigation Advisory Panel
– Chaired by Allan Markin

14. Water Management and Mitigation –
WaterSMART Recommendations
• WaterSMART has developed a white paper with detailed recommendations,
including short term (6 month) actions to address the following priorities:
– Anticipate and plan for more extreme weather events
– Improve operational capacity to deal with events through better modelling
and data management
– Investigate cost/benefit balance of investing in physical infrastructure such
as on and off-stream storage, diversions, and natural infrastructure such
as wetlands
– Consider flood risks in municipal planning and strengthen building codes
for new development in flood plains
– Evaluate options for overland flood insurance
– Manage water resources collaboratively
• WaterSMART representative (Kim Sturgess) appointed as advisor to GOA
Mitigation Team.

15. Potential Upstream Mitigation –
Existing TransAlta Infrastructure
• Further work to be
undertaken to evaluate
increased mitigation
potential of existing
infrastructure (storage
and/or operations).
• TransAlta
representative
appointed as advisor to
GOA Mitigation Team.

16. Upstream Mitigation Infrastructure –
Potential Concepts
• Flood Detention
Sites
– Maintain
natural flow in
non-flood
conditions
• River Bypasses
– Move large
volumes
downstream
beyond areas
at high risk

17. Mitigation Advisory Panel Priorities –
Elbow, Highwood and Sheep Rivers

18. Mitigation Advisory Panel –
High River Bypass (Conceptual)

19. Mitigation Advisory Panel –
Current Status
• The Panel has identified a number of potential detention sites and bypasses
(shown in the preceding slides).
• Preliminary discussion of these concepts with stakeholders has begun (City
of Calgary, Bow River Basin Council, AAMDC).
• RFP concluded and consultants selected for geotechnical and feasibility
studies on flood detention sites on Elbow, Highwood and Sheep Rivers and
High River bypass.
• The Panel is recommending that work begin as soon as possible on several
priority projects.

20. Normal Regulatory Process for
Water Management Infrastructure
•Environmental Assessment based on scale and complexity of
proposed project. Necessary to determine environmental impacts and
assess whether the project is in the public interest.
– The current average length of time until an EIA report is deemed complete
is 72 weeks.
• Environmental Assessment is mandatory for:
– Water management structures above 15m in height
– Diversions with a capacity greater than 15 cubic metres per second
– Reservoirs with a capacity greater than 30 million cubic metres
•Approvals under the Water Act, Historical Resources Act, and Public
Lands Act would also be required.
•Federal processes under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act would likely occur
concurrently.

21. Principles for Potential Accelerated
Review Process
• Must be consistent with spirit and letter of relevant legislation. Overall
public interest must be paramount.
• Robust and meaningful consultation will be undertaken:
– First Nations
– Municipalities and communities
– Stakeholders
– Public
– Intergovernmental
– Technical and professional
• Process expedited by prioritization of efforts and attention at each
stage, and by concurrent work on different aspects

22. Additional Considerations for
Water Management Infrastructure
• Scope and Scale
– The potential facilities range in height from 30-50 m and from 600-1100 m in length, with storage capacities from 35-
61 Mm3.
• Risk Assessment
– The dam safety consequence rating of any potential structures will likely be high to very high due to significant
downstream population at risk. This will set the design criteria.
– Flood control structures must be fully capable of storing large volumes of water at all times
• Feasibility
– Critical feasibility study elements include: other flood damage reduction options, cost & benefit analysis, and
engineering performance evaluation of the flood damage reduction plans
– Considerable time is required for field investigations, updating the hydrologic information, modeling studies,
laboratory testing, etc., at the feasibility stage to make sure if these site conditions are suitable.
– Updating of the hydrologic information is essential for establishing the Inflow Design Flood and discharge facilities.
• Constructability
– Structures are typically constructed during summer months.
– Dry storage ponds located on rivers would still require significant outflow structures
• Ownership and Control
– Other critical aspects requiring consideration include: determining the appropriate project proponent, long term
ownership, resources required for operation, maintenance and surveillance, emergency preparedness and response,
safety assessments and evaluations etc.

23. The Next Steps
• Short Term
– Aggressively pursue opportunities to increase preparedness for spring
– Continue to implement urgent local mitigation and erosion control projects
– Support communities as they develop local mitigation plans
• Moving forward
– Finalize the Flood Mitigation Framework to assist in project evaluation and
determination of priorities. Continue to assess projects from the Mitigation
Advisory Panel and other sources.
– Work with GOA departments and the federal government to develop
expedited review and approval processes within legislative requirements.
– Continue discussions to build consensus on appropriate strategies and
ensure integration of local and provincial plans.

24. Outcomes from the Symposium
• Share current state of provincial mitigation work
• Receive feedback and ideas on initial plans/concepts
• Encourage development of local mitigation plans; share
successes and best practices
– E.g. Sundre, Red Deer, Drumheller, Fort McMurray
• Establish avenues for ongoing consultation and input – all
ideas are welcome.
– Water Portal

25. Questions
WATER PORTAL – www.albertawater.ca
GOA MITIGATION TEAM – MitigationSecretariat@gov.ab.ca
Chief ADM, Flood Recovery Task Force – Andre Corbould (andre.corbould@gov.ab.ca)
Executive Director, Mitigation, Flood Recovery Task Force – Cathy Maniego (cathy.maniego@gov.ab.ca)