KANATA WEST DEVELOPMENT AND CARP RIVER FLOOD PLAIN
January 27, 2006

The Carp River is not very large when it flows through Kanata, but as Glen Cairn residents are all too aware it can do a lot of damage. Twice in the last 10 years the Carp River has overflowed its banks and many homes in Glen Cairn were flooded.

Work on the Carp River is helping ensure that the flooding in Glen Cairn will not reoccur, but what has happened is a reminder that issues around flood plains need to be taken seriously.

Over the last few years city staff and landowners have been working on plans for Kanata West – the land north of Hazeldean Road and west of the Carp River. This land was designated for development in 2001 on the condition the development be done in a way that keeps traffic issues and demands for new infrastructure to a minimum.

One issue that is still being worked out is how to handle the Carp River and the flood plain. What has been proposed is a two level flood plain. There would be a corridor of at least 100 metres to accommodate the river and pathways. Remediation work would be done to restore the riverbank in some areas. However, part of the flood plain would be filled in.

The latter part of the proposal has many people worried about what that will mean down the road.

There will be a public meeting for people to get information on the plans and provide feedback. I will be getting word out and I would encourage people to attend.

LOOKING OUT FOR OUR NEIGHBOURS

When winter comes I know many Kanata residents take extra care to make sure their neighbours are OK.

With that in mind I wanted to pass on a couple of comments I received from residents about things we all should watch out for.

Whenever puddles accumulate on the side of the road many pedestrians in our community expect to get splashed by passing cars. Many Kanata residents have long commutes and it is understandable why people are in a rush. However, when slush or snow are accumulating, lets spare a thought for people who are walking and slow down as we pass people.

Making sure our cars are off the street when ploughs are expected is another way we help our neighbours and ourselves. Under the standards for snow ploughing adopted in June, 2003, overnight parking is not permitted on residential streets when seven centimetres or more of snow is forecast. This is to ensure the street is properly ploughed.

The city does issue media advisories when overnight parking on streets is not allowed. You can check if restrictions are in effect by going to
http://www.ottawa.ca/cgi-bin/pressco.pl?lang=en&c=0.

KANATA COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP

For several years the Kanata Community Safety Partnership has been working with the police and people in the community on solutions to safety issues in Kanata. As of the last meeting, the current co-chairs are Jim Malone and Gail White. Both have extensive experience working on safety issues in our community.

I would like to thank Gail and Jim for their work.

WORKING FULL-TIME FOR KANATA

I appreciate the chance to hear from you about issues affecting our community. You can reach me at 580-2474 (office), 580-2514 (fax), or peggy.feltmate@ottawa.ca