The Regional District East Kootenay has been awarded $150,000 in funding to complete a Hazard Assessment and Guidance Project for Hosmer Creek. This project will include a geohazard assessment and recommended mitigation options to help reduce the risk of flooding and flood-related impacts related to Hosmer Creek. In addition, it will include conceptual design on one or two of the higher priority mitigation options so that the design can be included as part of future funding applications to complete the mitigation work.

While this first phase of the project is focused primarily on Hosmer Creek as it is the steep creek and contributes to the downstream impacts, they will be looking at Mine Creek to fully understand the relationship between these two waterways as Mine Creek would be part of a future phase.

In addition to the $150,000 in funding from the provincial and federal governments, $20,000 has been allocated toward the project from the Electoral Area A Flood Control Service. The RDEK has hired BGC Engineering and McElhanney Consulting Services and the consultants will be on the ground in the area of Hosmer Creek in the coming weeks. Their site visit will include walking both Hosmer and Mine Creeks and they will be reaching out directly to any landowners to request permission to access private lands as part of their assessment on the Creeks.

They are anticipating being on site on August 26 and 27 for their site visit.

The RDEK are in the process of creating a project page where we will provide more information and updates on the project and will share additional details next week on that front.

If you have questions about the project itself, please contact Chris Hust at chust@rdek.bc.ca or 250-489-2791.