‘We have been able to address concerns’: Alcona flood relief project study complete

Plans to alleviate flooding in south Alcona are closer to becoming a reality now that an environmental assessment study has been completed.

Chronic seasonal flooding affects residents in Belle Ewart every year, when the Belle Aire and Cedar Creeks overflow.

“The chronic flooding issues have plagued residents of these communities for over a decade and now that we’ve completed the environmental assessment process, we have been able to address concerns about public safety and the costs to repair annual damages, which totalled nearly $2 million,” said Mike Walters, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) Chief Administrative Officer.

The preferred solution to the flooding identified in the study includes channel improvements in the residential section of the Belle Aire Creek, as well as redirecting flows away from the Belle Aire Creek to the local Little Cedar Creek wetland.

Making improvements to the wetland aims to slow water down, store it and absorb it, which is considered an effective and sustainable solution to reduce flooding damage. This solution was chosen based on the environmental benefit, effectiveness, cost, and future resiliency to climate change that it creates, the LSCRA said.

The next step is implementation, which involves producing engineering and landscape architecture plans with post-construction performance monitoring and maintenance strategies.

The Alcona Flood Relief Project is a partnership between the LSRCA, Town of Innisfil, and engineering consultant, Greenland International. The partners contributed both financially and in-kind services. The Government of Canada also provided funds for 50 per cent of the study.

For more information, visit