Stevens Creek Floodplain Mapping by the OLA

Landowners in Goulbourn may be interested to know that the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority is doing floodplain mapping along Stevens Creek in the North Gower area. Word has it that this area includes several municipal drains. Its difficult to get the City to clean out municipal drains at the best of times – even more difficult if not impossible when they are in a designated floodplain. Landowners beware! The comments period is from November 29, 2021 and January 13, 2022.

Here is the information on the mapping from Councillor Scott Moffatt’s newsletter: The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) is asking for public input on a new hazard mapping study for Stevens Creek in the City of Ottawa. The study considers the risk of flooding, erosion, and other hazards along Stevens Creek from Malakoff Road to the Rideau River.

Members of the public are invited to review the draft regulation and hazard maps during a public consultation period between November 29, 2021 and January 13, 2022. The new mapping shows areas that are subject to natural hazards such as flooding and unstable slopes, or that have natural environmental features such as wetlands.

The mapping will be used by the City of Ottawa when updating its Official Plans and Zoning Schedules and in the review of development applications under the Planning Act. RVCA will also use the mapping to guide the review of development applications submitted under the RVCA’s Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses Regulation.

The goal of this mapping is to help ensure sound planning decisions are made — keeping people and property safe. Accurate engineered hazard mapping is the foundation of effective floodplain and resource management.

Members of the public are encouraged to review the draft mapping here and connect with an RVCA Resource Specialist to understand how the mapping may affect their property. Due to COVID-19, we are not holding an in-person public open house. Instead, we invite you to contact an RVCA Resource Specialist via email or by phone at 613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1132 or 1193.

Individual or small group meetings, on-line or in person, can also be booked to discuss local impacts and concerns. Conservation Authority staff also welcome local input on the mapping, including historical records of past flood events, slope failures, erosion, news clippings, photographs, and even anecdotal stories to help confirm the reasonableness of calculations and resulting hazard mapping.

This study is just one of several ongoing hazard mapping studies taking place in the watershed. For a complete list on ongoing work, please visit www.rvca.ca.

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to email me at Scott.Moffatt@ottawa.ca or contact me by phone at 613-580-2491. For information on Ward 21 issues, please visit TeamTwentyOne.ca.