Residents and property owners in Fairmont were able to learn more about the Cold Spring Creek Debris Flow Mitigation Project this week.

“While construction on Phase 1 of the project isn’t slated to begin until next year, there is a great deal of information and work that will be taking place between now and then and we want to ensure the community feels informed and up to date on the project every step of the way,” says Electoral Area F Director Susan Clovechok. “I was pleased to see so many people participate and encourage the community to continue to stay engaged throughout the project.”

The information sessions were attended by over 50 people, both in person and virtually, and featured three keynote speakers plus a question and answer session. The RDEK’s project lead, Engineering Technician Kara Zandbergen, provided an overview of the Fairmont Flood & Landslide Service, McElhaney Engineering presented the plans for Phase 1 and BGC Engineering provided a detailed overview of the hazard assessment it recently completed on Cold Spring Creek.

“There was a great deal of valuable information shared during the sessions, and I was impressed with the caliber of questions being asked by attendees,” adds Clovechok. “Anyone who was not able to attend can view a video of the session on the project page and will soon be able to ask questions directly through a new Q&A tool on the site.”

The RDEK has posted a video of the information session on engage.rdek.bc.ca/debris with more information scheduled to be added early next week.

The total cost for Phase 1, which will include a debris flow containment net, is estimated to be $1.375 million. The consultants are currently working on the net design and construction is scheduled to begin in 2021. With a potential cost of $11 million dollars for future phases of the project, the RDEK is actively seeking out additional funding sources and will be scheduling additional community meetings in the future regarding the likely need for future borrowing to help fund the project.

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