The provincial and federal governments officially celebrated the completion of this project with the municipality on Friday, while confirming a contribution of $5.8 million to this end, including $2.6 million from Canada through its Plan to a green economy.
Quebec, for its part, provides aid of “up to” $3.2 million through the Disaster Prevention Framework.
“I had a maximum figure of one million dollars that I wanted to cost my citizens,” says Coaticook Mayor Simon Madore. I told the levels of government: “administer it as you want, but the rest is up to you.” »
The amount of expenses would ultimately amount to about 1.1 million dollars for the city, the mayor is pleased.
The water retention structure in the Pratt Creek sector, whose final details were completed this summer, includes a retention basin, made up of a dike of fill materials, as well as two access roads and an emergency spillway. Work began a year ago, although the project had been in progress for at least seven years.
“It is a dam that is practically unique in North America, in the sense that there is no mechanism that makes it work,” explains Simon Madore. It is nothing more and nothing less than a backup in a sewer. The only maintenance that will remain is the visual aspect, and if there is a large backrest maybe put a little mud on it, but the rest is really minimal maintenance of the City of Coaticook blades. »
It’s already useful
While the rains were unleashed in the region and the city of Coaticook was on alert, last July, the structure was already fully operational and fulfilled what was expected of it, confirms Madore.
“It was operational and it really protected us. We saw a blockage in the main sewer and all this water would have gone to the center of Coaticook. Just in terms of property damage and such, it’s a real sigh of relief for our businesses and citizens downstream of Pratt Creek. »
