By Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
The timing couldn’t be better as the Town of Oliver is applying for emergency preparedness funding to protect its irrigation canal.
On Monday, council gave the thumbs up to submit a funding request to undertake Phase 1 of Irrigation Canal Structure Flood Mitigation for the Tinhorn Creek (Road 7) area.
The project consists of installing 145 canal lids over approximately 200 metres of canal.
Last spring a debris slide entered the canal in the Tinhorn/Hester Creek area. This resulted in a significant amount of work to clean out the canal in a rush for irrigation season. Many farmers worried that their crops would suffer major damage without water, but work crews were able to clean up the debris in time.
Chief Administrative Officer Cathy Cowan said the goal of the funding application is to prevent the canal from being shut down again.
Cowan noted the grant would cover 100 per cent of the cost.
(File photo)
The lids will be placed over the canal where the flooding occurred last year.
“The project will provide protection to the canal and consequently prolong its lifespan,” Cowan said.
In addition, because of the geometry of the lids, the canal will act as a dam for flooding, she noted.
Cowan pointed out that the lids will be arched enough to allow a Bobcat to drive through the canal when the lids are in place.
