The District of Muskoka isn’t waiting around for the province to update important flood maps.
The Ministry of Natural Resources originally did flood mapping in 2006 and the district had figured in 2016 a 10-year update would be done, which officials say is standard. However, the MNRF sent the district a letter in 2015 saying it didn’t have enough funding and so it was going to push the update back to 2021.
However, District of Muskoka CAOÂ Michael Duben says they can’t wait that long.
Duben says the district applied to the federal government’s National Disaster Mitigation Program, and received a $450,000 grant to update the flood plain mapping information. But, that grant is contingent on securing another $450,000 which he says the province should be paying for. Duben says that’s because the mapping can be done before their target date of 2021, and at half the cost to the province.
The District of Muskoka’s Director of Environmental and Watershed Programs, Christy Doyle, says flood mapping is important because it will pinpoint where the most vulnerable areas of the watershed are when there is extreme flooding. She says it also helps with human health, emergency preparedness, and communication with the community when there is going to be a flood.
Duben notes water courses and erosion changes over time, and new developments will also impact where water will leak into. He says ultimately, the maps can save lives and help to plan for the future.
Doyle says the District of Muskoka is now looking for partners to match the federal government’s funding. She says the project is going to move forward, and hopes to start it soon. She says the longest it will take to do the mapping is two years and so Muskokans should have the updated information by 2019.