The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is seeking permission from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to extend the period for in-river work for a flood mitigation project along the Dore River as delays continue to pile up.
The work is being carried out after high water breached the river's banks near McBride in July 2020. It was made memorable when an elderly couple narrowly escaped a mudslide that struck their home in the middle of the night.
This past March, the regional district secured $2.94 million from the provincial government to install riprap along a 1.5-kilometre stretch, and in April, directors awarded a contract worth $1.88 million to Profor Management Inc. McElhanney Ltd. developed and oversaw the tendering of the project.
But at the time of the award, the regional district was still in the process of obtaining authorization from DFO and that did not come until the end of May. In response, during their June meeting, directors agreed with a staff recommendation to add $506,445 in order to get accelerate the work and get it completed within the approved window of July 15 to September 15.
However, the project soon hit another snag as, in early July, the regional district needed to obtain an exemption from the B.C. Ministry of Forests for works done during a period of high fire danger rating. As a consequence, Profor "has not been able to fully execute accelerated works," staff said in a report included in the agenda package for FFGRD directors' monthly meeting, held this past Thursday.
"With one month left in the DFO approval window, the contractor and McElhanney have indicated that it is unlikely, even with accelerated funds, that the in-stream works will be completed per the original proposal submitted by the contractor for the June Board meeting," staff continued.
As such, staff has given DFO the heads up that it is in the process of seeking an extension for the in-stream works into this fall or for winter 2025.
Meanwhile, Profor and the regional district (via McElhanney as engineer of record on the project) are at odds due to "different interpretations concerning the required in-stream works" that may lead to additional costs, staff has warned.
The regional district has until 2026 to spend the grant money it received from the province, according to staff.
Once the work is completed, the regional district will start taxing property owners who benefit from the work to cover the cost of long-term maintenance and asset management, with the numbers still to be worked out.
