The Citizen, "Valleys & People" supplement, 1986-01-15, Page 2Page I
HARRISTON FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT
When you're curled up on the sofa
in the comfort of your cozy family
room, you probably don't think about
it. Maybe you are loo young Io
remember or, maybe you would
sooner forget?
the trickle of waler is a pleasant and
comforting sound, unless of course,
that trie kle turns into a pool of water in
the basement of your house.
Residents in the Town of Harriston
may remember a lime 1 when homes,
businesses, roads and vacant lots were
left paralyzed for days, sometimes
weeks by flood walers,
These vacant lots have been
developed and the buildings re
constructed, but the evidence of p.isl
and future potential flooding remains,
Settlers were attracted to the 1 river
for convenience; a fresh supply of
waler and means of transportation
were al their doorstep.
today, river edge properly may seem
an attractive location for a home, the
scenery can be spectacular, unfor
tunately not always in llie most
positive sense of the word.
In Harriston, flood walers over top
the river bank and spill out into
residential sections of the Town, there
is a natural low spot in the town,
believed to Ire the original river bed.
Il's not surprising that I lie* flood walers
lake- this direc lion. As waler levels rise,
waler backs up al bridges and again
over lops the river banks Io cause fur-
Iher flooding.
the 1 M.V.C.A. has evidence of
flooding in the town of Harriston
dating back Io I 1)111. In the seventies
flooding persisted and concerned
residents petitioned the M.V.C.A. Io
begin investigating alternatives to pro
tect the Town.
The alternatives included an
upstream storage 1 reservoir, river diver
sion and dykes. None of these were
economically feasible solutions Io the
problem.
In the interim, building applications
in the Harriston flood plain were a
concern. How could the vitality and
future growth of the Town continue if
llie applications were not approved?
How could the 1 Authority approve 1
these 1 applications to build in any area
that had a documented history of
flooding?
In recent years, Harriston has
escaped the inconveniences and hard
ships of a flood. I.ucky? Maybe, but
luck does not protect <i Town from the
harsh realities of flooding.
the potential for a major flood in
Harriston has increased. Why?
More wetlands (natural waler
storage areas) have been drained.
There has been an increase in buried
tile drainage and associated open dil-
c lies, l andowners have implemented a
variety of means Io remove waler from
their agric ultural property as cpiic kly as
possible. This, in turn, may mean in
creased runoff and high waler levels
reaching peaks in the downstream
c ommunities.
The Provincial Ministry of Natural
Resources has published a document
outlining the policies of flood plain
management in Ontario. One of the
Province's main objectives is to protect
existing development within the flood
plain wherever possible. Two thirds of
the Town of Harriston is located in the
flood plain.
Town of Harriston, 1975. Efforts to reduce flooding in Harriston have com
menced with the initiation of the Harriston Flood Control Project.
In 1981, Town Council requested tlu 1
M.V.C.A. to study the Highway No. 9
bridge and conduit which presently
supports four stores. The conduit was
determined Io he in poor, structural
condition.
The search for an economically feasi
ble solution c onlinued.
The most cost effective solution en
suring an acceplable level of flood pro-
tec lion inc hides:
1) replac ing the Hwy. bridge
2) improvements to the conduit sup
porting the commercial buildings
3) excavating llie river channel and
c onslruc ling a low flow roc k channel
4) constructing mirth berms Io build up
the river bank Io confine the flood
waters
The regulatory standard of protec
tion for the Mailland watershed is the
Regional Storm level or, flood protec-
lion Io a level that if 11 inches of waler
fell over a period of 4IJ hours, buildings
on either side of the river would lie
safe from flooding.
Although historical data from 1912
indicates river levels in the Henmiller
area c ame dose to the Regional Storm
level, it is imprac tic al for the flood con
trol berms in Harriston to be built to
this standard.
A flood protection level from a storm
with a chance of occurring once in a
year, formally known as the 1 in 1(11)
year storm, will lie attained upon com
pletion of the entire Harriston flood
control projects.
The Ministries of Natural Resources
and Transportation and Communica
tions as well as the Town of Harriston
and the Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority are all contributing to the
project. There will be a return of two
dollars in flood protection for every
dollar spent. The new flood protection
level and positive cost benefit ratio du
ly justify the project.
The Federal and Provincial Govern
ments pay out millions of dollars in
flood disaster relief each year. Today,
building in the flood plain is strictly
regulated Io protect lives and property
from the damages that could result
from development in an area suscep
tible to flooding.
A large portion of the Town of Har
riston is situated in the floodplain. For
this reason, special policies for
building in this area will have to be
carefully considered. Flood proofing
measures and/or elevating any new ad
ditions or buildings will ensure that the
town’s growth is not stifled, but rather
that any new additions are built to in
corporate proper flood proofing
measures.
The Harriston Flood Control Project
is multi-phased with the design
engineering now complete. Con
struction of the new bridge, im
provements Io the 1 conduit, with chan
nel inlet and outlet improvements are
scheduled to commence 1 in the fall of
191)6. This start up date was arranged
so that neither downtown business nor
summer traffic flow would be inhibited
by construction.
The Harriston Flood Control Project
is a co-operative effort between the
provincial and municipal governments.
By working together, the municipality
and the Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority have ensured that the vitality
and safety of this prosperous com
munity will lie better protected from
the perils of flooding.
INTRODUCING: LESTERVIT, MVCAGENERAL MANAGER
On November 4, I9B5 Les Tervit,
formally the General Manager of the
Kettle Creek Conservation Authority,
commenced his new position as
General Manager of (he Maitland
Valley Conservation Authority.
Bryan Howard, past General
Manager assumed a position with the
Ontario Heritage Foundation in
September, as (heir Natural Heritage
Co-ordinator.
Mr. Tervit is a graduate of F.E.
Madill Secondary School and Sir Sand
ford Fleming College, Lindsay, On
tario. He continued his education
through correspondence al the Univer
sity of Waterloo and the University of
Guelph with emphasis on environmen
tal and soil conservation studies.
Les tervil's first Authority position
dales hack Io the early |970’s when he
was employed as a summer student
with theM.V.C.A.
After graduating from Sir Sandford,
Les was employed with the Saugeen
Valley Conservation Authority as a
Resource Technician for a period of
four years.
Since that lime, Les worked as the
Middlesex District Superintendent and
the Extension Services Technician with
tlu1 Upper Thames River Conservation
Authority.
He was employed with the Kettle
Creek Conservation Authority as
General Manager since 19111.
Mr. tervit has been extremely actixe
with the Association^Conservation
Authorities of Ontario and has served
as the Chairman of both the Con
servation Area Regulations Subcom
mittee and the Agricultural Soil and
• Water Conservation Subcommittee.
When asked why he applied for the
position, Mr K Tervil responded, "The
Maitland is a somewhat larger Authori
ty with a strong rural focus to its pro
grams. The area is one I'm certain I will
enjoy working in."
Les, his wife Kale and their eight
month old son Iordan have recently
relocated from Belmont Io R.R. No. 2,
Gorrie.
t.es Tervit should be familiar Io some
area residents. Fie is the son of George
and Harb Tervit of R.R. No. 4,
Wingham.
Les Tervit
MVCA in
Manager.
was recently hired by the
the position of General