Long-awaited funding for flood mitigation work in Sussex has been announced.
Officials from all three levels of government gathered in the town Monday afternoon to make the announcement.
The province is committing more than $13 million, Ottawa will spend more than $15 million, and the town is contributing more than $10 million
“Today was a milestone day for Sussex,” Scott Hatcher, the town’s chief administrative officer, said in an interview.
“It’s the beginning of the end of our flood mitigation and the damages associated with flooding in our community.”
Hatcher said the town has determined that around 650 residential and business properties are impacted by adverse flooding effects.
Part of the $38.3 million will be used to build a berm to protect about 80 homes in the Meadow Crescent subdivision from flooding.
Because that part of the project does not require an environmental impact assessment, Hatcher said it could be constructed by March 2025.
The rest will be for the larger flood mitigation work, including two diversion channels that would reroute flood waters around the communities.
The first channel will extend from Trout Creek to the Kennebecasis River flood plain, crossing Route 1, while the second channel will link Parsons Brook to Trout Creek. Two overpasses will also be constructed on Route 1 where it intersects the proposed channels.
Hatcher said that work will take a bit longer since it requires having to go through an environmental impact assessment process both at the provincial and federal levels.
“If everything goes according to plan, we believe that in Christmas 2028, flooding issues and flood damage in this community will be a thing of the past.”
