Repairs and reinforcement will soon be underway at two separate sites along the Elk River.

“We have two projects that we will be starting within the next week: one at the Elk Valley Airport and one in the Hill Road area near Fernie,” explained Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Engineering Services Manager, Brian Funke. “Both of these projects are a result of damage that occurred during the flooding of 2013.”

The work at the Elk Valley Airport involves building setback erosion protection on the bank of the river, which will tie into the existing bank armoring to help protect the airport in future flood events. The construction will begin on July 27 and is expected to take approximately four weeks.

During the peak of the flooding in 2013, a section of dike along Hill Road was lost and the work in this area will focus on rebuilding 150 metres of soil dike that was washed away. “The work will be undertaken on both private and Crown land and residents will notice truck traffic moving on and off the site as well as some tree and vegetation removal,” added Funke. Work on this project will also begin on July 27.

The projects are both being 80% funded by the Provincial Disaster Financial Assistance program. The remaining 20% funding on the Elk Valley Airport project is coming from the Elk Valley Airport Service, while the remaining 20% on the Hill Road project is being funded by the newly established Electoral Area A Flood Control Service.

RDEK

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