Ground is expected to be broken in the coming weeks on the Malloy Drain Phase 2B Stormwater Management Project.
According to the Mayor of the Town of Coaldale Jack Van Rijn, the project is being done in partnership with Lethbridge County, St. Mary River Irrigation District, along with the provincial and federal governments. The project will increase the town’s current stormwater capacity by adding infrastructure that will channel water from the Cottonwood Storm Water Management Facility to Coaldale’s raw water reservoirs which are not being used. This will increase the stormwater storage capacity by roughly 50 per cent or 540,000 cubic meters. According to Van Rijn, this is equal to approximately 216 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The improvements are expected to improve the ability to manage stormwater while also reducing property flooding, and save runoff as an irrigation resource for surrounding agricultural lands. The total cost of the project is estimated to be roughly $4.9 million, with the Government of Alberta investing $3 million through the Alberta Community Resilience Program and the Government of Canada putting in $1.2 million through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
A statement from Van Rijn reads, “This initiative is critical for flood mitigation and sustainable water management, especially given Coaldale’s geographical challenges and history of flooding. Situated in a natural geographical bowl, Coaldale lies at a lower elevation compared to nearby communities, making it a natural collection point for rainwater runoff and heightening its flood risk.”
According to the Coaldale mayor, between 1963 and 2014 several significant flooding events took place in the community, including the flash flooding caused by overwhelmed drainage systems in the town. To make this work possible the water levels in the Cottonwood Stormwater Management Facility along Highway 845 will temporarily be lowered. Work is expected to start this fall and is expected to be completed next summer.
