LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Fort Simpson has no funding set aside to address ongoing riverbank erosion that could cost more than $19 million to fix or to repair potential damage it could cause to vital community infrastructure.

The riverbank here along the Mackenzie River is moving closer and closer to the village's water treatment plant shown on the right. This stretch of Mackenzie Drive has been closed for several years because of the retreating riverbank. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo

"There's no reserves that we could use for addressing capital funding in the future," said Mayor Sean Whelly March 13. "There is no money, I don't know if there ever will be."

Whelly said the village only gets about $1 million per year for capital projects from GNWT or other sources.

A stretch of more than 1,300 metres along the bank of the Mackenzie River has been retreating over the past few decades, with the shoreline inching closer to streets, homes and the community's water treatment plant every year.

Council was told this past fall it could cost millions to address the village landfill in coming years.

A study commissioned in 2012 by a former senior administrative officer, which cost $75,000 according to the mayor, states tens of millions of dollars would be needed to address erosion.

The Associated Engineers Ltd. study lays out three options to stabilize the bank estimated to cost between $19 and $31 million. The village has done nothing with the report since it was completed two years ago.

"I don't believe that report has been widely distributed. I don't even believe the territorial government has been made aware of that report," Whelly said, adding he did raise the erosion issue with the premier late last year.

"I guess when we saw the numbers when they came in, I guess we thought there wouldn't be any money to take remediation.

"We keep hearing that the territorial government has no money. It just didn't seem the right time (to bring it up)."

Typically municipalities across the country contribute annually to reserve funds to have money on hand in the event that infrastructure such as arenas or water treatment plants have to be repaired or replaced.

Fort Simpson has no such fund.

Nehendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche said the territorial government doesn't set aside money for shore erosion in communities, adding Fort Simpson isn't the only community in need of financial support to protect its shoreline.

"There is no programming at the GNWT to assist with shore erosion, there are many communities in the NWT that could use assistance, Nahanni Butte being another good example," he stated in an e-mail.

'The bank keeps eroding'

The threat posed by the retreating riverbank isn't new. Long-time residents of the community recall a time when there were homes with yards on the river side of Mackenzie Drive. Those homes are now gone and the steep bank is up against the street.

Over the years erosion has destabilized the foundations of a 500 metre section of the road near the water treatment plant, to the point that it has been closed to traffic for several years.

Buildings considered close to the edge include the Northwest Territories Power Corporation generating station, the village's water treatment plant and a pipe under Mackenzie Drive that brings raw water to the treatment plant.

Whelly said several bad years of erosion, cutting away as little as five feet, could damage the road and expose that pipe, which would in turn cause a serious disruption to the water supply.

He added that the community will need to decide in the next five years what to do with its treatment plant as it comes due for an upgrade or replacement.

If the erosion continues the plant might have to be moved to another location.

Coun. Tom Wilson, who previously served as village mayor, said successive councils have tried unsuccessfully to raise the erosion issue with the GNWT and the federal government.

"How long do we have until we start losing major infrastructure in town because nothing has been done?" Wilson said.

Riverbank erosion was one of the top issues Wilson and Coun. Bob Hannah pledged to address if elected in the 2012 municipal election.

Wilson said very little has been done since then as priorities have shifted and senior staff has changed several times.

"Basically as you can see nothing has happened. The bank keeps eroding," Wilson said.

"We have to keep in the forefront of the government's mind. Mind you we also need a new health centre too. The government on any given year only has X amount of bucks to spend around."

Whelly also said other priorities for territorial funding have come up, but said council knows erosion is a problem.

Three options

There have been at least five studies carried out since the 1970s regarding the erosion issue according to the Associated Engineering Ltd. report completed in March 2013.

The study concluded the village's best option based on potential costs would be to install riprap - a term for large rocks piled together to form a rough wall. It is considered the easiest of the two options to install.

Granite riprap installed in several phases starting at the downstream end of the island would cost an estimated $23.7 million.

Limestone riprap, also installed in phases, would cost an estimated $19.5 million.

A sheet pile wall, literally a wall of metal along the edge of the riverbank, is estimated to cost $31.5 million and would require specialized equipment.

The study states more detailed geologic work is required to know if a sheet pile wall would be effective.

There wasn't enough information for the study authors to estimate how much the bank is retreating per year.

However, Whelly and Wilson both said the pace has slowed recently.

"But that could change," Wilson said.

- with files from Andrew Livingstone