HRM must implement Sackville rivers floodplain zoning, advocate says

The former president of the Sackville Rivers Association is urging the government to take action to mitigate the effects of future flooding around local rivers.

The Halifax Regional Municipality has already conducted a study of the Sackville River and Little Sackville River that mapped areas at risk of flooding, but it has never incorporated the findings into new zoning rules.

Walter Regan says it's high time the municipality take that step.

"They've got to put their money where their mouth is. If they're serious about protecting the environment, if they're serious about protecting the citizenry, then number one is to get floodplain mapping and zoning legislated."

During last weekend's historic rainfall, which brought about 250 millimetres of rain to the Bedford and Sackville areas, the rivers flooded, damaging homes, businesses, cars and infrastructure.

It is far from the first time that flooding from the rivers has caused problems. Some low-lying areas such as the Bedford Highway, Union Street, Bedford Place Mall and the Range Park often experience flooding during heavy rain.

The floodplain study, completed by engineering firm CBCL in 2017, recommended several strategies to mitigate flooding, including restoring the natural shape of the rivers and vegetation surrounding them, purchasing properties at risk and using low-impact development.

According to the HRM's website about the Sackville floodplains, the municipality plans to use the information in the study to update planning documents to regulate development in the floodplain areas.

Municipal staff were not immediately able to provide further information about the status of those plans, but a spokesperson told the CBC in an email that the municipality is assessing what can be done to help flood mitigation, including investigating potential flooding sources and researching flood preparedness.

Right now, new developments in floodplains that are deemed at risk during a 1-in-20-year storm are limited to certain uses, such as recreation, forestry and fishing. Existing structures can be repaired and maintained as long as they don't increase in size.

But climate change is expected to bring more frequent and severe storms to Nova Scotia, and Regan said governments need to prepare for that by ensuring infrastructure like bridges and culverts can cope with increased pressure.

Consideration should also be given to acquiring land along the river so it can be naturalized, he said.

"Where has it been straightened? Where has it been infilled? What can we do to allow the river to naturally overflow its banks?" Regan asked.

He said though some measures may prove to be expensive, like buying people's properties, in the long run, mitigation measures will reduce damage as well as taxes spent to repair it.

"If you allowed the water to naturally flow where it wants to, you don't have to repair people's furnaces. You don't have to repair people's driveways. You don't have to repair people's houses."

Councillor to make funding request

Bedford Coun. Tim Outhit was busy Thursday trying to deal with his own flooded basement. He said his focus right now is on helping others affected by the floods and he wasn't prepared to discuss zoning issues.

But Outhit said he would ask council to request that all three levels of government come together to purchase some homes on Union Street. He will also ask for an update on the timeline for floodplain zoning.

Coun. Paul Russell, who represents the Lower Sackville area, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

The Sackville Rivers Association declined to comment.