Richmond Receives International Project of the Year Award for Emergency Dyke Improvements
September 23, 2008
Richmond’s dyke has earned the City a prominent Project of the Year award from the American Public Works Association.
At the September 22 Council Meeting, Mayor Malcolm Brodie accepted the award on behalf of the city and the public works department from Mr. Murray Steer, Director on the Public Works Association of BC. The award is for the emergency south dyke construction project completed in May 2007 in the category of Disaster or Emergency Construction Less Than $2 Million.
With provincial and federal government grant funding of $1.4 million, the City of Richmond was able to complete approximately one kilometre of dyke improvements deemed necessary in relation to the 2007 spring freshet regional flooding concerns.
The City’s multiple objectives and sustainable approach were key factors in winning the award. The City assembled an interdisciplinary planning team, including engineering and ecological expertise, and developed an innovative design to meet both the flood management and ecological needs of the site. The design avoided the typical long-term ecological impairment to the riparian and intertidal areas along the dyke and resulted in a ‘Net Plus’ environmental impact – a vast improvement over conventional dyke design.
As important as they are, the dykes are only one of several systems in Richmond’s innovative multi-faceted system of defence to mitigate flooding and the potential effects of rising sea levels. The City has an extensive drainage system; Council adopted a dyke utility in 2005 to provide an ongoing dedicated source of funding for dyke upgrades; and Richmond has developed an extensive long-term Flood Protection Management Strategy, endorsed by Council, and a Flood Plain Management Bylaw with adoption expected this fall.
For more information on flood protection in Richmond, please visit the City of Richmond website at richmond.ca/safety/prepare/city/hazards/flood.htm.
