NATIONAL POST

One Calgarian has a solution to protect his house that sits on a flood fringe. Put it on stilts - JEN GERSON

On Jerry Schwartz’s enormous riverfront property sits a swing, tied to a tree.

“That’s 30 feet long, and I’ve got a totem pole — I used to get my kids higher than that totem pole,” he said.

He’s lived on the 19,000 square foot lot since 1980. This is where he raised kids, and grandkids. This is where his wife died. And almost all of his home old home sat square in the middle of the floodway. When the river rose almost a year ago, the water was six feet high at his front door.

This can’t happen again. So, Mr. Schwartz has a plan. He wants to rebuild his home on stilts.

From the outside, the proposed home — which would be re-located in the flood fringe — will look indistinguishable from the other angular, modern infills sprouting across the city. But when the river rises, he’ll be able to open the garage door and the sides of the walls, allowing water to flow right through the lower storey of his home. When it passes, he can just hose it all down and get back to normal life.

“It was a place that my family grew up in, so I have a sentimental attachment to it,” Mr. Schwartz admits. “But it’s more than that. If you look at the flood situation, this is a solution that doesn’t cost $400-million bucks to implement. It’s a solution where the homeowner takes the responsibility for himself, instead of looking for the province to do this for me. As an engineer, I like that idea.”

Flooded homes have been cleaned up and the mud cleared away, but construction projects along the Elbow and Bow Rivers continue as the city prepares to mark the anniversary of the June 21 flood that would become the most costly natural disaster in the country’s history. Although the provincial, federal and municipal governments have promised billions for mitigation and recovery, fear and tension is continuing to rise along with the river as this year’s spring melt meanders down from the mountains — this time, at a more manageable volume, the city hopes.

In the meantime, private property owners are taking matters into their own hands.

Mr. Schwartz is hoping to use disaster relief funds to create a house that will be resilient to future floods; noted oilman, philanthropist and Calgary Flames part owner Allan Markin has constructed a three-meter high wall of concrete and steel around his home. According to the Calgary Herald, the structure, which extends more than 4 metres underground, cost well into the six-figures to build, and can be removed after flood season.

On a smaller scale, numerous owners have installed sump pumps and moved electrical panels and furnaces to higher levels in their homes.

In the far western neighbourhood of Discovery Ridge, the Wedgewoods condominium has installed a 285-foot berm to protect against the nearby river.

“It looked like a miniature Niagara Falls coming over the side,” said property manager Dave Swan, describing last year’s disaster, which filled basements and parkades to the brim.

“We were advised that private citizens were obliged to take care of their own properties. The city is doing all they can at the moment, but, again, privately owned areas, you’re on your own right now.”

The city of Calgary has spent more than $50-million fortifying riverbanks that collapsed during the flood, destroying major roads and exposing critical pipelines. There are several massive infrastructure projects under review, including a new reservoir, a dry dam and a tunnel that could divert 500 cubic meters of river water per second.

However, these proposals would cost billions of dollars and take years to complete.

The province has promised $325-million over the next three years for municipalities across Alberta to build berms and dikes, and to stabilize riverfronts.

When asked Tuesday whether this funding would be enough to meet Calgary’s needs, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said, flatly: “no.”

“And… I don’t think the premier would say that’s enough money, either, but it is important to get started.”

At the moment, Mr. Schwartz’s stilt proposal is being held up at the provincial level, he said.

People like Mr. Schwartz have only two options; either take disaster relief money from the province to restore their properties to a pre-flood level — and forgo future payouts in the event of a future flood. Or, they can be bought out by the province — which leaves uninhabited gaps in flood-prone neighbourhoods.

Mr. Schwartz said this is an inflexible approach. He would like the province to buy out the portion of his large property that is in the floodway, which should give him enough compensation to create an elevated, flood-proof home.

The 83-year-old said he is willing to become a pilot study; if it works, other homes might follow suit, which could create a solution that would keep neighbourhoods intact for no more cash than it would cost to simply restore a typical home. This, he hopes, could be his “legacy” to his province.

Kishan Gajjar, Mr. Schwartz’s builder and architect, agrees.

“It’s the simplest ideas that go unnoticed. It’s so simple, it’s really so simple, I don’t think people even thought about it,” he said. “Rather than throw away money or create wasted pockets of land, this will keep people in the community.” National Post
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