Harrison Lake's dike will be raised.
During the Harrison Hot Springs village council meeting on Monday, May 5, council voted unanimously favour of raising the dike to 15.1 metres, meeting standards set by the province, in an effort to protect the village from future flooding. They directed staff to provide recommendations concerning flood protection systems and potential locations.
The current dike was built following the disastrous flood of 1948, which left behind severe damage in Agassiz-Harrison. The village has since underwent a flood risk assessment in 2021 and, in 2023, the village secured a $6-million grant to upgrade the dike and infrastructure. They also secured an additional $5 million from the province from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund - disaster Risk Reduction Climate Adaptation stream.
The village 鈥� together with Northwest Hydraulic Consultants and Space2place 鈥� created a conceptual design and held an open house in the fall of 2023 to gather public feedback. At this stage, the work is focused on refining the design for dike sections near the wastewater treatment plant access road and Rendall Park.
If the dike project is not pursued, it might become significantly more difficult if not impossible to obtain flood insurance in the event of a disaster in the village, and provincial and federal disaster relief funds may become harder to obtain.
The project takes into account more than just the provincial requirements. Council approved a number of subjects, including meeting provincial standards while minimizing the impact of lake views from Esplanade Avenue, limiting construction during high tourist season and providing residents with a chance for feedback when it comes to deployable (temporary) sections of the dike and where fixed (permanent) sections should be installed.
Coun. Mark Schweinbenz said studies and First Nations knowledge indicate that the lake is likely to flood in the next 100 years.
"it sounds like a long time, but if we can do something to solve this, we should do it now," he said. "We looked at similar disasters in B.C. that happened recently. Merritt was flooded and its wastewater treatment plant was destroyed. It's cost them tens of millions of dollars to fix, and they lost houses and businesses, and they're still recovering."
Schweinbenz acknowledged the project would impact residents and businesses alike and that it should be taken into account as the project moves forward. He added that if Harrison does not come up with its own solution, the provincial government has approved Bill 15, which would allow the province to have regulatory override when it comes to major capital projects.
"If we don't approve it, it will be on them to design it, and it won't be our solution," he said. "I think we need a made in Harrison solution, a solution that preserves the beachfront that we all love, that preserves our environment, our infrastructure and our amenities on the waterfront."
Coun. Michie Vidal said this was the most challenging decision she has made in her years on council.
"I think the largest danger here in Harrison is not from the Fraser (River). It will come from freshet, and this year, we have a higher level of snowpack than in previous years, and the danger comes if it melts too quickly," she said. "I have struggled with this, but I need and I will err on the side of public safety."
The dike project remains in its middle stages and is expected to begin construction later this year or in 2026. The current projected completion date is sometime in 2027.
