Moncton should consider buyouts in flood-prone neighbourhoods, residents say

Frustrations rose among residents of two low-lying Moncton neighbourhoods over the city's plan to reduce flooding risks, with several calling for the municipality to take another look at buying out property owners.

About two dozen residents of an area south of Lewisville Road and the east end near Wheeler Boulevard attended a meeting to hear about the city's plans Wednesday evening. 

City council on Monday unanimously approved a plan that calls for rebuilding the sewer system around the neighbourhoods and adding two water holding ponds. It's expected to cost $12 million, the cheapest of three options considered. 

Roland Gauvin, a Stafford Street resident, said his home has flooded numerous times, especially in the last 10 years. 

"You're still not sure it's going to work and spending a lot of money to do it," Gauvin said at the meeting, later calling the plan unacceptable.

Gauvin was one of several people who called on the city to take another look at buying up the 97 residential properties to return the area to its natural state. The city estimates it would cost $19 million. 

Elaine Aucoin, the city's director of environmental planning and management, said buyouts are typically done with help from other levels of government and can be hard to do. 

"You have different opinions within the community and people that don't want to leave their community, so you could have to expropriate some people that live within these areas," Aucoin said.

City staff said only eight people answered a survey question about buyouts as part of a study of the flooding issue. The results were described as a mix of support and opposition. 

Several people at the meeting said they didn't receive the survey.

Alcide Richard, the city's director of design and construction, told the residents he'd take what he heard at the meeting back to his bosses at city hall.

Gilles Breau, who has lived on Fergus Street since he was born, said he thought the city's plan would lift the area's flood zone designation. 

He said he was surprised to find out the city's work likely won't affect the provincially set designation. 

He said the designation makes it hard to sell a property.

"People want to be bought out now because their houses are worthless because of the designation," Breau said.

Council's approval of the plan comes more than a year after it hired Crandall Engineering Ltd. to study the neighbourhoods and make recommendations. The full report has not yet been released.

An executive summary included several options, including the sewer system changes city staff recommended and councillors approved. 

It calls for separating sanitary and stormwater into different pipes so floods don't overload the sewer lines. Floodwater would be held in two detention ponds until the water level of the nearby Petitcodiac River drops. 

Berms rejected

One is proposed near the East End Pool on city land used as a soccer field. The second, in the Lewisville area, would be on the west end of Frontenac Street where there are currently homes. 

The plan would protect against floods that reach eight metres above sea level, which the report says already happen annually. 

Another option considered in the study was installing berms and flood barriers on Lewisville Road and Botsford Street. It was estimated to cost $29 million.