How will our infrastructure fare during a storm surge or drought? Is the Town well-prepared to mitigate the effects of the same? Well, thanks to the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre's Climate Resilience Capacity Building Program, we now know. The MCCAC’s funding of $25,400 allowed the Town to undertake a resilience assessment to determine how well-placed Taber is to conserve water during a drought or our capacity to handle a storm surge of water.
The assessment revealed Taber is prepared to handle well over 10,000 cubic metres of water during a storm surge (much like the downpour we all experienced during Cornfest in 2022). Our wastewater system is equipped with expanses of sanitary lines, stormwater ponds, and other critical infrastructure that is able to store large quantities of water that arrives all at once. Having these in place helps reduce the potential of flooding during a storm surge, making our community more resilient in the face of changing climate patterns and stronger storms.
But it’s not just for storms- the assessment also inspected our drought readiness to see how well we would be set up to control potable water reserves and conservation of water. With our current storage capacity and plans in place to restrict water usage if an extended drought occurred, the assessment demonstrated we can also handle a lack of water as opposed to a surge of water.
The Town gratefully acknowledges the MCCAC for their funding and support for this project.
