City seeking to apply for federal funds for Noble Creek irrigation improvements, emergency egress routes

KAMLOOPS — Staff at City Hall are seeking to apply for federal funding for two key projects in Kamloops – the Noble Creek irrigation system and emergency egress roads in four neighbourhoods.

The application deadline for Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Funding is coming up in mid-November, and Kamloops Chief Administrative Officer David Trawin says staff are hoping council will approve the recommendation to apply.

“When the grant program came out, we’d been working at putting it together. Going through with staff and looking at which projects fit (application requirements), which projects don’t fit,” Trawin says.

The federal program invests in structural and natural infrastructure projects and increase the resilience of communities impacted by natural disasters due to climate change. To qualify for the small-scale project stream, costs need to be between $1 million and $20 million.

Trawin notes staff will present council with three options: apply for an emergency egress bundle project, apply for the Noble Creek irrigation system project, or apply for both.

The emergency egress route bundle – valued at $19.6 million – would include a connection road between Copperhead Drive in Pineview, and Aberdeen Drive. It would also include a permanent paved route between the Juniper Ridge and Rose Hill neighbourhoods using Qu’Appelle Boulevard.

Trawin adds that the neighbourhoods included in the proposal were chosen in consultation with Kamloops Fire Rescue.

“That was working with the fire department and with the planning department to look at what they felt were the bigger areas that needed that system to be put in place,” he says. “As the… highest priority areas, and to keep it under $20 million dollars.”

The planned infrastructure improvements for the Qu’Appelle Boulevard extension would also leave room for future housing development, and a new school site to be put in.

“Rose Hill Road would be upgraded to a better standard and the Qu’Appelle access would be a fully paved road on that,” Trawin explains, “So it would allow for the future growth to happen, which is why some of the cost coming out of his would be from development cost charges – the developer would also contribute some on his property from doing the road also.”

The other project – valued at $16.69 million dollars – addresses Noble Creek irrigation. The river intake and pumping equipment needs to be replaced, and a new reservoir and fire hydrants would be added to solve some of the ongoing issues.

“If the grant is successful, it would (solve problems). Part of the issue – council developed a taskforce with the city, the province, and the Noble Creek users to try to look for grant money that would fit in with the system. This is one of the applications that we’d look for to do that.”

Trawin added there aren’t concrete dates set for when the proposed projects would be completed, but they’re hoping to hear whether the applications were approved by spring of 2022.