The Town of Ladysmith has received provincial money to help the decommisioning of weirs along Holland Creek, along with other repairs. (Town of Ladysmith)

By Jordan Davidson

flood mitigation

Provincial funds provided for dam repairs on Holland Creek in Ladysmith

Mar 21, 2024 | 10:25 AM

LADYSMITH — The provincial government is beefing up flood defences across the province, including on the mid-Island.

The Town of Ladysmith will receive $2.75 million through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) for repair work to weirs and dams along Holland Creek.

Mayor Aaron Stone said the work will help reduce the risk of flooding while also helping to prevent erosion along the banks, protecting the important salmon-spawning habitat.

“Additionally, funding to repair the intake weir further ensures the long-term supply of water to the town’s filtration plant, which is integral to distributing safe drinking water to the entire community, Stz’uminus First Nation and the Diamond Water Improvement District.”

Planned work includes decommissioning the lower weir along with upgrades and repairs to two other low-head dams, according to Stone.

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He said the improvements will ensure residents can continue to enjoy the trail system within the forest park in the southern corner of Ladysmith.

Several flooding events have occurred on Holland Creek in the last decade, and a recent dam safety audit found repairs were needed on at least two water-intake weirs, risking a failure of the Holland Creek Dam during heavy creek flows, according to a provincial release.

The work is expected to be completed later this year within the fishery window, typically from mid-June to September.

This work builds on previous repairs to a third intake weir following damage done by flooding in Jan. 2020.

The City of Parksville also received $42,402 in funding for an inundation study for the Arrowsmith dam through the CEPF.

The province is giving out around $39 million to more than 50 disaster-risk reduction and climate-adaptation projects through the fund.

More information on the B.C. flood strategy can be found here.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow