Our province is in the planning stages of raising the dike at Ste. Agathe. And the public is invited to offer feedback.

Mitch Duval is Chief Administrative Officer for the Rural Municipality of Ritchot. He says there are public engagement sessions happening today where residents can discuss design options and provide their thoughts.

Duval explains that the province's objective is to bring the dike in Ste. Agathe to a level that would protect the community in the event of a 1 in 200-year flood. Currently, ring dikes in the Red River Valley are protecting against 1 in 100-year flood events. To provide that extra protection, Duval says the dike in Ste. Agathe will need to be raised about two feet. 

Today's public engagement sessions take place at the Ste. Agathe Cultural and Community Centre. Two identical sessions run from 3 to 4:30 pm and from 7 to 8:30 pm. Duval says these sessions will be a time to discuss preliminary designs of raising sections of the dike, examining current riverbank stability and even include the construction of new links. 

With regards to riverbank stability, Duval says every spring when there is a high water event, the province builds up the west bank of the Red River. Then, after water levels drop, that temporary dike is removed. He anticipates that this will be part of the discussion today, as to whether there might be a more permanent solution. 

According to Duval, raising the dike at Ste. Agathe is strictly an initiative from the province. And the project will be paid for entirely by the province. They have hired a consultant team led by KGS Group to do the engineering, as well as Scatliff Miller Murray to perform the preliminary design and consultant work.

Duval encourages all residents of Ste. Agathe to take in one of the sessions today. He says the sessions should also be of interest to residents in the surrounding area, farmers, business owners and any stakeholders that may have an interest in the project. 

He says today will be round two of discussions with round three expected this spring yet. Duval says there is no timeline for construction.

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