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Orangeville council, CVC considers grant money to address flooding

November 14, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Orangeville will use money saved from a capital project and use it to address flooding issues in the spring and fall.

The town has received numerous queries and complaints over the years about flooding along Mill Creek south of Broadway and Monora Creek with its many branches south of Broadway.

Those creeks have overtopped their banks and caused significant flooding on roads and private property. Among the thoroughfares consumed by flooding are Sherbourne Street, Dawson Road, First Street and Hansen Boulevard.

Flooding has caused damage to municipal infrastructure, structures, and private property.

Tim Kocialek, the town’s infrastructure services general manager, said in a report to council during its Nov. 4 meeting that updating flood plain mapping to better understand the current situation and potential future impacts on infrastructure and private properties is a reasonable and effective tool to develop and update.

“It is anticipated that the new mapping will assist staff with being proactive in developing strategies and policy to help mitigate flooding and damage to property in the future,” he wrote in his report.

The Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC) has identified a potential grant opportunity, the Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program (FHIMP). The grant would assist both the municipality and CVC with updating its current floodplain mapping.

The FHIMP would offer local conservation authorities up 50 per cent of the cost of the floodplain mapping project. The cost to complete the project is estimated to be $200,000.

If the CVC and town are successful in securing the funding, cost sharing for the project would be $75,000 from the municipality and $25,000 from the CVC with the remaining $100,000 from the grant.

“This tool would assist both parties with identifying current and future hazards along the watersheds and provide a good planning tool that could be used by Infrastructure staff to recommend policy and future maintenance and capital projects for council’s consideration,” Kocialek wrote.

Staff will reallocate budget savings from a current capital project, the Storm Water Management Pond Assessment Project, which is to assess the conditions of the current municipal ponds to inform future investment requirements for rehabilitation and stormwater management controls.

As part of the 2024 capital budget, $300,000 was allocated to complete the pond assessment project. Submissions to the town’s call for proposals brought savings and staff are confident that $75,000 can be reallocated from this project.

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