​​Flood Relief is one step closer in Alcona

Conservation Authority and partners find solution to reduce local flooding 

Innisfil, ON – December 1, 2020 - With the completion of the Environmental Assessment Study for the Alcona Flood Relief Project, efforts to protect the community of South Alcona are one step closer to completion. 

“The recently completed Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process involved extensive public and stakeholder consultations which lead to the production of an Environmental Study Report (ESR) identifying the cause of the flooding and evaluated several flood mitigation solutions to reduce persistent flooding in the Belle Aire and Cedar Creek subwatersheds of South Alcona," said Mike Walters, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) Chief Administrative Officer. “The chronic flooding issues have plagued residents of these communities for over a decade and now that we've completed the EA process, we have been able to address concerns about public safety and the costs to repair annual damages, which totaled nearly $2 million." 

The Alcona Flood Relief Project Environmental Assessment was a partnership between the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, Town of Innisfil, and engineering consultant, GREENLAND® International. The partners contributed both financially and in-kind services, making this a true public/private partnership. The Government of Canada also provided funds for 50% of the study. 

The preferred solution to reduce flooding in the area involves enhancing an existing wetland. Referred to as “green infrastructure", projects to enhance or create wetlands to slow water down, store it and absorb it, are effective sustainable solutions to reduce flooding damages. This solution was chosen based on the environmental benefit, effectiveness, cost, and future resiliency to climate change that it creates. LSRCA and the Town of Innisfil will now move forward with the next phase of the project so that the science-based and publicly supported solution, can be implemented to alleviate flooding impacting residents in Alcona.