Feds fund flood mitigation project in City of Kawartha Lakes

The federal government is providing $46,000 to help the City of Kawartha Lakes respond to flooding.

Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef said the funds will be doled out over 18 months to Ontario under the National Disaster Mitigation Program.

“I welcome this funding as it will equip the City of Kawartha Lakes with the updated tools needed to help prevent and mitigate flooding in the area, as well as assist the community’s efforts in managing emergencies,” Monsef said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I welcome this funding as it will equip the City of Kawartha Lakes with the updated tools needed to help prevent and mitigate flooding in the area, as well as assist the community's efforts in managing emergencies," Monsef said.

“Water connects our communities, and ensuring smart management of this resource will see benefits across the region.”

The funding will support updated floodplain mapping of the Mariposa Brook, which was last mapped nearly 30 years ago by the Kawartha Region Conservation Authority (KRCA). It’s a 229-square-kilometre area of the central-western Kawartha Conservation watershed that’s bisected by Highway 7 and extends to the Scugog River.

Mark Majchrowski, Kawartha Conservation’s chief administrative officer, says the new mapping data will help protect people and their property from flooding, as well as provide the City of Kawartha Lakes and the conservation authority with better emergency management and planning information to help guide land-use decisions in the area.

KRCA will be contributing its own $46,000 towards the Mariposa Brook Flood Area Study.

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“Ultimately with newer technology and processes we will be able to refine the Mariposa Brook floodplain mapping, which will provide added surety in protecting people and their property from flooding events, and will also be used in our planning and permitting activity,” Majchrowski said.

The Government of Canada cost-shares up to 50 per cent of eligible expenses for provincial projects and 75 per cent of eligible expenses for territorial projects.

“Weather-related natural disasters are getting more severe, more frequent, more damaging and more expensive,” said Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

“This is a threat not only to the safety of our communities, but to our economic stability,” Goodale said. “The Government of Canada is determined to reduce these risks in partnership with provinces and territories. The project announced today will help Ontario better prepare for and respond to flooding.”

Bill Mauro, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, says the province commends KRCA for its leadership in taking important steps to reduce flood risk.

“Our government will continue to help municipalities and others access federal funding for flood mitigation projects through the National Disaster Mitigation Program,” he said. “In this changing climate, we all have a role to play in planning for disasters in our communities, so that our most valuable assets are protected.”