Representatives from Stettler County and MPE Engineering were in Gadsby to discuss an in-the-works drainage report for the community with residents.
While the final report is not yet complete, the county wanted to share their findings to date and the proposed fixes for what they have found.
The study was initiated at the request of Rick Green, the County of Stettler’s director of operations, after the community dissolved as a village and became a hamlet within the county.
According to Green, he believes in starting at the “bottom up” when looking for issues to spend money on.
Starting with drainage, Green’s plan is to continue on to water, sewer and then aesthetic issues in the community, as money allows.
“The needs are greater than the money available,” said Green.
While the drainage study has identified some issues for the hamlet, according to Green, “not a lot of drainage work needs to be done.”
“We’re working with opportunities as they present themselves,” said Green.
“We’re working towards long-term goals identified in the infrastructure study.”
The drainage models used to produce the work so far are based on one-in-five-year storms and one-in-100-year weather events.
Green notes that the infrastructure plan for the community is based on the one-in-five-year storms, though the one-in-100-year weather events are taken into consideration.
Various maps at the presentation noted comparisons of drainage as it is now versus what drainage could be with some improvements.
Several problems noted with the drainage include nearby wetlands draining into town and ditches being excessively steep due to erosion.
Solutions for these issues include rebuilding the ditches and culverts and building a one-foot berm near the wetlands.
“The goal is not to create more flooding,” said Green.
According to Green, the ideal situation would be to get any moving water underground, as there is always erosion where water water moves.
Green and the engineers took feedback from the community members in attendance and will work it into the final plan presented to council.
While council has approved the creation of a plan to address the needs of the community, once the plan is complete it will still be up to council to approve the expenditure for the work.
According to the Village of Gadsby viability report, around $4 million worth of expenditures were identified as needed to be done over the next two decades.
Between funds the community had at dissolution, Gas-Tax Fund, MSI funding and transition funding, the county has about $1.4 million of dedicated funds for the community.
“The most depressing part of my job is I can’t fix everything,” said Green.
“We’re working on things, one thing at a time.”
