Fairmont Debris Flow Mitigation

The maximum 350% tax increase was required for several reasons. Please note that we are not currently taxing at the maximum rate:

• To cover the increasing costs of operating and maintaining existing infrastructure on Fairmont Creek and Cold Spring Creek
• To pay for the community’s portion of the costs not covered by the Provincial Government following the May 31, 2020 event (and subsequent events)
• To pay for the $150,000 RDEK share of the Cold Spring Creek Phase 1 project
• To pay for ineligible costs related to the capital projects estimated at approximately $112,000. These include costs related to statutory rights of ways surveys for access, legal fees and interest.
• To cover the maintenance costs of the new infrastructure.

Any funds not used in the calendar year will be put towards reserves for the Fairmont Service Area for use in future years. It is critical to build reserves to manage debris events and to plan for future projects.

There is woody debris in Cold Spring Creek.  The past debris floods have passed under or through the woody debris thus far.  RDEK continue to monitor the creek and will continue to assess the woody debris and look at a plan to remove it should that be required. Ultimately, the large berm and debris basin being planned for Cold Spring Creek will collect debris flood and debris flow material (such as this woody debris) should it move down the creek channel.

Funding has been secured for the project. We are working with the Province and Federal government to formalize funding details for this project and a public announcement will be made when complete funding agreements for the projects in the funding program have been finalized.

We have created a Bylaws folder in the DOCUMENTS section on this project page and have loaded the service establishment bylaw there.  The direct link is HERE.

Service areas are established under Provincial legislation in the Local Government Act.  The boundary of a service area is defined upon establishment or amendment of the service area bylaw and includes the properties that receive benefit from the service.  Every dollar collected in the service is used for operations, capital and reserves of the service only and any surplus stays with the service until utilized.  The proposed tax increase cannot be shared among all properties of Electoral Area F because the properties outside of the Fairmont Flood and Landslide Boundary will not receive benefit from the service.  If the service area was changed to all of Electoral Area F, the scope of the service area would also change and Fairmont properties would be taxed for flood and debris expenditures throughout Area F not just those within the community of Fairmont.  

A handful of reports have been completed on Cold Spring over the years. The hazard assessment that was completed by BGC Engineering in September 2020 is by far the most in depth assessment that has been completed to date. It was extremely thorough and used a combination of techniques to reinforce the conclusions. BGC is arguably the leading firm for both alluvial fan hazard studies and quantitative landslide risk assessments in Canada and have won national and international awards for their work. Their staff have conducted many such assessments in Canada and other nations and have published numerous papers on the subject in journals and conference proceedings. Dr. Jakob, P.Geo. (BC/AB), LG (WA), who was the project lead with BGC for these assessments, is the lead editor of a book on debris flows published in 2005 and is currently lead editor of an updated volume on debris flows. He has worked on over one hundred debris flow and debris flood projects in British Columbia and around the world.  You are encouraged to do your own research on BGC Engineering and Dr. Matthias Jakob. 

Every property owner in the service area was sent a direct letter in October outlining the current situation and laying out how and where information on the project will be posted so that they can ensure they are informed every step of the way.  It has also been posted on the project page. The public meeting in October was publicized in local media, sent via our email group, posted on posters throughout the community, recorded and posted on the project page for people who were not available to be able to watch at any time.  Due to COVID restrictions, we made special arrangements to have a space that could facilitate in-person attendance for those who may not have access to computers and streamed the meeting so that property owners living out of area could participate. Regular updates are provided to our email group and posted on the project page. The March newsletter was sent to over 660 mailboxes in Fairmont, shared via our email group, shared with the Fairmont Community Association, and posted on the project page. There will be another community meeting in late April or early May once we have some additional information finalized and the details of the meeting will also be advertised, posted on our project page, sent to our Fairmont email group, sent to property owners, shared with the Community Association, and posted in the community. The project page also has an FAQ tool for questions specific to the project and the contact information for both Director Clovechok and the project lead Kara Zandbergen are provided there.  

The former owners of the FHSR removed windfall from the creeks up to the ski hill and cleared debris from the ski hill intake when it filled up. Creek maintenance was not performed upstream of the ski hill. Large amounts of debris were not removed from the creekbeds as would be required to meaningfully reduce the debris flow frequency, intensity, runout or damage on the Cold Spring Creek or Fairmont Creek fans.

We cannot comment on questions related to property values or other impacts such as the price of home insurance, as there are many variables outside of the control of RDEK that determine those factors.  You should direct your inquiries to your insurance provider or a property assessor as appropriate.  The goal of this project is to increase community safety and minimize the potential impacts of future events. In that regard, having infrastructure in place to mitigate potential risk, is an important part of community safety and public perception.  

The details of the elector assent process have not yet been finalized. Once these details are known, they will be shared with the community and a public information meeting will be scheduled.

Table E-2 in the Hazard Assessment Report summarized the key findings of the assessment but does not discuss clearing debris from the upper reaches of the creeks.  Clearing debris from the upper creeks to the degree that it would reduce the hazard to an acceptable level is not recommended. There are a number of debris sources in the upper watersheds of both creeks and would require developing an extensive network of access roads in steep and challenging terrain. It would be very costly and the expense would need to be carried entirely by the service area as this type of work is not eligible for grants.

Clearing debris from the upper creeks to the degree that it would reduce the hazard to an acceptable level is not recommended. There are a number of debris sources in the upper watersheds of both creeks and would require developing an extensive network of access roads in steep and challenging terrain. It would be very costly and the expense would need to be carried entirely by the service area as this type of work is not eligible for grants.