In May 2018, the City of Grand Forks and surrounding communities, experienced a devastating 1 in 200-year flood event that inundated large areas of the community, damaging critical public infrastructure, homes and businesses, impacting the local and regional economic base. Properties situated along the Kettle and Granby Rivers were particularly affected.
The cause: a combination of late spring snow accumulation higher than average precipitation combined with high temperatures, resulted in massive snowmelts in an extremely short period of time. Peak flows reached 1,300 cubic metres per second, inundating dikes, causing widespread damage.
Flood risk assessment & resiliency planning
Senior BLP members worked alongside teams of environmental consultants, flood engineers, contractors, and community members to assess the risk and impact of the flood and provide flood mitigation counter measures.
BLP team members supported an integrated project delivery (IPD) and early contractor involvement (ECI) approach to optimize value and minimise risk and cost.
Flood works included:
- Public consultation and engagement
- Environmental impact assessment
- Channel morphology
- Site assessment & staging
- Constructing site access roads
- Removing trees
- Fish and fish habitat protection
- Turbidity and water quality assessment
- River embankment design engineering, stabilisation and restoration
- Sheet pilon installation
- Construction & construction management
