The flooding in June 2013 in southern Alberta led to significant destruction of property and land near several rivers. Alberta WaterSMART gathered information from water experts from across the province and the country to put together this white paper concerning lessons learned from the 2013 situation. Six recommendations are made:
- Anticipate and plan for more extreme weather events, including both flood and drought.
- Improve our operational capacity to deal with potential extreme weather scenarios through better modelling and data management.
- Investigate the 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 developments in flood plains.
- Evaluate options for overland flood insurance.
- Manage our water resources collaboratively, following the examples of the Bow River Consortium and the Cooperative Stormwater Management Initiative, and ensure Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs) across the province have proper authority and funding.
Read the full report here.
