Planning and Preparation
Mackenzie County continues to plan and prepare to protect against future threats of flooding caused by the rising waters of the Peace River. In the event of a flood, measures will be taken to protect key County infrastructure along the Peace River, including the WOP May Airport, the Fort Vermilion Water Treatment Plant, the Old Bay House, and the Water Wells near La Crete.
The Fort Vermilion Water Treatment Plant, as well as the Old Bay House will be protected from floodwaters using Trap Bags. The Trap Bags that will be used are stored in a folded state and can be deployed quickly to form a 50-foot barrier when filled with sand. 50-foot lengths are attached to each other to form a dike which will help to protect buildings from rising floodwaters. The La Crete Wells will be protected in a similar way using barriers reinforced with poly sheeting.
Mackenzie County also continues to invest in resources to help residents and businesses protect their properties against potential flooding. The County has a sandbagging machine that can be used to help fill approximately 2000 sandbags per hour. This machine will allow residents and business owners to fill sandbags that can be used to construct dikes and protect their properties from floodwaters. When the sandbagging machine is deployed during a flood, the County’s role will be to fill the machine with sand and assist with organizing volunteers to help fill sandbags when required. In addition to filling sandbags, residents and business owners will also be responsible for transporting the sandbags and constructing dikes around their properties. Mackenzie County will also assist in providing guidance on how to effectively construct sandbag dikes where needed.