Overview
The Town of Onoway received $80,000 for the completion of a Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment and Adaptation and Resiliency Plan.
The Town engaged Associated Engineering and All One Sky to develop an understanding of climate vulnerabilities and risks to Town-owned infrastructure and assets.
This project was funded by the Government of Alberta, through the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre’s Climate Resilience Capacity Building Program.
Approach
Situated in the Lac Ste. Anne region, at the hub of major transportation routes, Onoway strives for balanced business development, environmentally sustainable industry, and ample recreational opportunities, while maintaining a friendly, small-town atmosphere.
The project was completed to better understand the impacts of climate change within the Town of Onoway and to develop a plan to reduce negative impacts.
A series of risk identification and assessment workshops were conducted with the Town using the Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) High Level Screening Guide Process. The scope of the risk assessment included the following assets and areas: water, facilities, wastewater, roads, stormwater, parks, and solid waste.
The assessment also considers community-wide social, health, and economic impacts.
Results
The assessment included a risk-based analysis for the Town’s infrastructure, summarized the highest priority climate risks, and identified facilities that would benefit from additional assessment efforts.
The report also highlights areas where the Town is already resilient to climate change, and where no cause for concern is apparent.
The report finds that based on the climate projections for the Onoway area, some climate hazards are showing an increasing trend in the future, including extreme heat (days above 30C), number of cooling days, frost-free seasons, and annual precipitation. A decrease in the number of low temperature days (days below -30C) and number of freeze-thaw events may have benefits for the Town.
The five highest risk climate hazards for Town owned and operated assets include high winds, wildfire and smoke, river flooding, extreme heat, and hailstorm. The top three most impacted infrastructure systems are roads, parks and playgrounds, and stormwater management.
Impacts range from damage to infrastructure and increased maintenance, to reduced visibility, to impacts on staff working outdoors.
Risks impacting the health and wellbeing of the community include water supply shortages and extended heat waves.
The report recommends prioritizing adaptation actions, starting with low-cost actions that can be implemented with planned policy or bylaw updates.
Benefits
The report provides adaptation actions that all departments can work to implement. Actions include cost effective recommendations such as increasing public engagement, community awareness, and staff training around climate change, as well as infrastructure upgrades.
The report will support the Town with prioritizing these actions and identifying next steps to mitigate negative climate impacts.
While conducting the CRCB project, it became evident the impact climate has and will have to the Town of Onoway both positively and negatively. Moving forward the valuable information in the Final Summary and Recommendations Report will be integral to the core of future initiatives such as Asset Management Planning.
Gino Damo, Director of Corporate and Community Services
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