Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency, responsible for managing the province’s water resources and ensuring water safety, is predicting above-normal runoff levels for much of the province’s south in 2013. With the runoff looming, the provincial minister responsible for the WSA, Ken Cheveldayoff, announced the government’s continuing assistance for Saskatchewan residents at risk with the 2013 Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program (EFDRP). The program provides engineering and technical assistance to municipalities while sharing the cost of permanent and temporary flood prevention works.
The EFDRP covers all of the costs for engineering assistance and the purchase of sandbags by local governments, as well as reimbursing individuals, communities, and businesses for significant portions of the cost of flood protection work—berms, culverts, lift stations—aimed at protecting citizens from the coming floods. It will also cover half of any temporary damage prevention measures, such as the purchase of sandbags and pumping services.
This year is the agency’s second in existence, and it is the integral component in a 25-year plan to provide safe and plentiful water to the current and future residents of Saskatchewan.
