Attempts are being made to stop local history from being washed away.
While the Kaministiqua River played an integral role in the city’s past, since 1977 it has also flooded Fort William Historical Park numerous times, causing major damage and threatening the very existence of the place where it’s always the year 1815.
An environmental assessment is now underway to figure out the best way to stop the threat while still having a minimum impact on the river, its neighbours and the wildlife in and around it.
Flooding usually occurs because of ice buildup or heavy rainfall.
“They’ve looked at everything from potentially dredging the river a perimeter dyke, raising the site or even relocating,” project manager Robin Gould said.
“We’re comparing the impacts of each of the alternatives and that’s forthcoming throughout the process.”
This process will look at every possible solution while also giving the public a chance to make its own suggestions.
The fort has also hired the top hydrological engineers in the country to study and analyze each solution Gould said.
“One of their major focuses is to ensure that any negative impacts to assets in the surrounding areas are minimized.”
Depending on the issues raised, the environmental assessment could take up to year. After that, whichever solution is decided could be more than three years before its actually put in place.
Anyone looking to give the assessment input can contact Gould at [email protected]
After initial input is taken, an open house will follow Gould said.
