Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program

Overview

The Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program (EFDRP) provides assistance to implement emergency flood protection measures for communities, rural municipalities, businesses, non-profit organizations, individuals with rural yard sites, country residences, cottages and drinking water wells to prevent damage from imminent risk of flooding. First Nation communities that may be impacted by flooding are encouraged to contact Indigenous Services Canada for support or WSA for information.

Imminent risk of flooding includes situations in which residences, and/or other buildings, are highly likely to incur damage from flooding as a result of a hydrological event underway or where a water body has attained an elevation, such that in the judgement of the Water Security Agency, additional precipitation within a calendar year poses a significant risk.

Protecting citizens from water borne illnesses is an important aspect of providing security during and after a flood. The program will provide testing and advice on disinfection for private wells providing water is used for human consumptive purposes and may have been affected by flood waters.

The program provides cost-sharing assistance for flood protection measures provided:

the work is described as eligible in the program profile and provides protection from imminent risk of flooding that occurs between April 1^st and July 31^st of each program year;
eligible costs are incurred up to December 31;
the work has been recommended by an engineer or technical specialist;
approval to undertake the work is secured in advance, when possible, from the Water Security Agency. If prior approval is not obtained, WSA will review the work to determine if it is the least cost option and can be covered by the program;
the applicable regulatory approvals are obtained prior to the start of construction (e.g., drainage approval, Aquatic Habitat Protection Permit, etc.)

The Water Security Agency may require construction of the most cost-effective works to address the imminent flood risk.

Flood protection for cropland, pastureland, orchards, golf courses or gardens, ground water seepage into buildings, slope failure and shoreline erosion are not covered under the program.

Assistance within communities must be coordinated through the municipal government. The Water Security Agency will fund the municipality at the appropriate rate.

The program will not provide funding for flood protection measures that qualify for assistance under the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) administered by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.

The program will not fund temporary flood damage reduction or prevention measures, including sandbagging, although funding assistance will be provided for costs incurred due to pumping if there are no alternative permanent solutions.

The program will also provide funding to complete construction of permanent flood protection measures that were part of a number of projects approved under the previous year’s Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program that were unable to be completed within that year.

Process

Inquiries for engineering and technical assistance, applications for financial assistance under the program, and testing and analysis services for private groundwater supplies should be directed to the Water Security Agency from April 1–July 31. Please call 1.866.727.5420.

Where there is sufficient time, WSA will undertake a technical investigation and provide a report recommending options to mitigate flooding for the client.

Upon Water Security Agency approval of the flood protection measures, the client (community, rural municipality, business, non-profit organization or individual) is required to sign an agreement with the agency outlining the flood protection measures to be implemented, the cost-sharing rates and other terms satisfactory to the Water Security Agency.

Once an agreement is signed, the client will undertake the work or hire a contractor. Upon completion of the work, original paid receipts must be submitted to the Water Security Agency for payment in accordance with the cost-sharing provisions. The Water Security Agency will not be responsible for interest charges on client paid or unpaid invoices.

Final payment to the client is subject to final inspection and the receipt of required documentation (e.g., equipment logs, timesheets, invoices and paid receipts).

Where there is insufficient time prior to flooding, an agreement may be established after the work is commenced. This only applies to emergent situations and the client is required to contact the Water Security Agency as soon as possible during or after the flood event. Grant payments that are considered will be based on the minimum work that would have been needed to deal with the flood threat.

As a condition for assistance, the client shall hold the Water Security Agency and its agents and consultants contracted to the Water Security Agency, harmless from all damages or claims that may result from works and groundwater testing undertaken pursuant to this program.

Assistance Available

Engineering and other technical support to evaluate the potential flood risk to buildings and to identify options to mitigate the risk will be funded when flooding is imminent. Services are expected to include client discussions, site visits, hydrological and other technical evaluations and the development of mitigation recommendations.

Bags for sandbagging are available to municipalities from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. Individuals should obtain the bags from their local municipal government.

Flood protection measures must adhere to all federal and provincial regulatory requirements.

Emergency flood protection measures include those that are permanent and those that are temporary:

Emergency permanent flood protection measures will be designed to have an immediate flood protection benefit, but also provide long-term flood protection. Emergency permanent flood protection measures covered by the program include:
- Construction of permanent dykes/berms,*
- Installation of culverts and gates,*
- Construction of permanent diversion works or channel improvements,*
- Relocation of principle residence if that is the least cost option (capped at $99,500).

*A drainage approval, licence to construct and operate works and/or an Aquatic Habitat Protection Permit may be required.

Emergency temporary flood protection measures covered by the program include:
- Pumping to prevent damage from overland flooding*

*A drainage approval and/or an Aquatic Habitat Protection Permit may be required.

Measures not covered by the program:

Sandbagging efforts
Temporary ditching or dyking
Purchase or deployment of reusable water tubes or aqua-dams
Channel clearing
Snow removal and culvert steaming
Shoreline erosion mitigation or protection
Slope failure mitigation or protection
Protection of wastewater lagoons or septic systems, boathouses and docks, and corrals and feedlots
Landscaping
Use of reusable temporary flood mitigation measures (water tubes, refillable water barriers, etc.)
Protection of grain bins or bags (unless located within a yard site and are included with the flood protection measures for the yard site buildings)
Protection, maintenance or development of public roads or private farm access roads (unless the road acts as a dyke/berm to protect buildings from flooding)

Eligible costs:

Erosion control materials for permanent flood protection measures such as permanent dykes/berms and ditches
Road haul levies as part of materials costs (typically included in costs charged by contractors)
Culvert and culvert gate purchases
Contracted labour or overtime labour for employees of the client or employees hired specifically to implement flood protection measures
Equipment rental (e.g., pumps and machinery)
Costs of extraction and reclamation when materials are sourced from client’s own land
Clients use of their own pumping equipment or machinery (at standard industry rates less the labour)
Provincial Sales Tax for all clients (when paid on invoices)
Goods and Services Tax (only for individual clients when paid on invoices)

Ineligible costs:

Costs associated with sandbagging, temporary ditching or dyking and channel clearing
Pumping from within a structure (e.g., flooded basement) or regular basement sump pump operation
Purchase of a pump or associated pumping equipment
Purchase of materials sourced from the client’s own land (clay, sand, rock, etc.)
Purchase or deployment of reusable temporary mitigation products (refillable dykes, water tubes, etc.)
Repairs to buildings
Breaching or repair of washed out roads
Non-overtime labour for employees
Labour to protect the client’s own property (including family members who reside at the same residence)
Voluntary labour
Food, refreshments or equipment purchases (e.g., tools, gloves, etc.)
Rental of hand tools or power tools owned or purchased by the client
Fees for permits from government agencies
Goods and Services Tax (if it is refundable to the client)

Cost-Sharing

Cost-shared financial assistance will be provided by the Water Security Agency in accordance with the following categories:

a) Individuals, small businesses, non-profit organizations, rural municipalities and communities (other than city status)

100 per cent of costs for engineering or technical advice

50 per cent of costs for construction of emergency permanent flood protection measures

50 per cent of costs for emergency pumping

b) Cities and large businesses

50 per cent of costs for engineering or technical advice

25 per cent of costs for construction of emergency permanent flood protection measures

25 per cent of costs for emergency pumping

c) Private wells

100 per cent of the costs to test (sampling and analysis) private wells impacted by flooding, provided water is used for human consumptive purposes.

Service may include on-site sampling by technical staff, laboratory analysis of the sample and communicating the results of the laboratory analysis. As almost all wells require shock chlorination after flooding, well testing will only be provided after the shock chlorination has been conducted. Lab analysis is limited to nitrates, total coliform and E-coli, which are the typical contaminants associated with flooded wells. This service is available to residents using private water supplies and water cisterns. However, this service does not guarantee the safety of the water supply and the well owner maintains responsibility for the use of the supply.

Program Contact

More information for the Emergency Flood Damage Reduction Program is available at any Water Security Agency office.

For applications, please contact the Water Security Agency at 1.866.727.5420.