Joshua Creek Flood Mitigation Study – Town’s Preferred Option

Jan 13, 2022

Analysis conducted by Town staff between March 2021 and November 2021 resulted in the Town determining that their preferred preliminary mitigation option is Non-Structure Measures (Emergency Preparedness).  JCRA is disappointed at this result as Emergency Preparedness as a stand-alone option does not seem sufficiently robust to address flooding.  Town staff have advised us that the full project study with additional information beyond what has been published to date will be available for a 30 day public comment window.  We will post links to the full study when we receive them.  In the meantime, the link to the existing studies is https://www.oakville.ca/environment/flood-mitigation-joshuas-creek.html 

Below is the text of our recent feedback email to the Town:

Thank you for this 2nd public input opportunity on the Joshua Creek Flood Mitigation Study undertaken by the Town.

The JCRA board is disappointed that the only flood mitigation option recommended by this study is Option #4 Emergency Preparedness.  This option does not appear to be sufficiently robust to be the only recommendation for flood mitigation of Joshua Creek for the below reasons:

  • Effectiveness of the options was not included as an evaluation criterion.
  • The reliance on individual residents to implement flood mitigation measures at their own discretion is poor public policy.
  • Emergency Preparedness appears to have come out of the evaluation criteria as the best option based on Constructability.
  • The need for multiple options to reduce flood risk is a reasonable and logical conclusion given the statement on Options #2 and #3 “Flood risk to the residential area is reduced, but not eliminated”; however, the study has recommended a single option.
  • The study does not appear to provide supporting evidence that Option #4 will eliminate flood risk.
  • There is no financial information included in the presented material.
  • There is no reference to working with external stakeholders so that a more robust flood mitigation plan can be undertaken with shared costs.
  • There is no reference to best practices in other municipalities, including Burlington and Toronto where significant flooding resulted from massive storms in the 2014, 2013 and 2018.
  • Reducing Risk of Contamination in the creek system was not included in the study.

JCRA suggestions:

  1. Add Effectiveness of each option as a Key Evaluation Criteria, including effectiveness at reducing risk of possible contamination in a flood scenario.
  2. Consideration of external partners to share costs with Town.
  3. Consideration of layering options to create a more robust action plan to reduce flood risk.

Thank you again for the opportunity to provide feedback. We appreciate the time and effort Town staff give to public engagement.

We would be pleased to answer any questions or discuss our comments in more detail at your convenience.

Regards,

Joshua Creek Residents Association

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