Riverbank Discovery CentreRiver Repairs

The situation is that the flood of 2011 did extensive damage to the riverbank and the options are to either spend $1.5 million to repair the riverbank (as reported in the Brandon Sun on 8 May 2013) or "keep it natural" and move the building (as suggested by members on the eBrandon.ca forum: http://ebrandon.ca).

Now I am not an engineer, but I believe that it would cost far more to move the building and walking paths than to repair the river bank to stop the erosion. This figure is not available, but it is quite possible that the intelligent people at Ducks Unlimited and the Riverbank Discovery Centre have priced this out and found it to be an unacceptable alternative.

It has been the process of removing marshes up stream (they acted like a sponge to reduce the flow of water in the spring) that was a major contributor to the 2011 flood so saying we are not allowed to "modify nature" to repair the damage done by other modifications is pure hypocrisy.

There have been river modifications to build the bridge a few meters away so it has already lost the "natural" aspect of the scene. Using rocks to repair and prevent further erosion would be an education feature in the studies available at the centre. Most of the rivers in Europe have been modified in some way to accommodate the civilizations that line their banks.

The decision to build it in the current location included the highest flood level for over a hundred years and that 2011 was a rare occurrence, surpassing over three hundred years of record keeping. With proper management of the water upstream (which was not done in 2011), the probability of reaching 1,184 feet above sea level has become negligible. There has already been a major investment in preventing a reoccurrence so the rest of the river should not panic with fear that 2011 will happen again.

But where to get the $1.5 million for the repairs now becomes the big question. A common management lesson is to not bring a problem to supervisors without also bringing a possible solution.

I would like to recommend letting donors "Buy a Rock" (where size matters). A boulder half a metre in diameter could cost the donor $1,000 (with a tax receipt issued), but the child could buy a palm sized one for a loonie.  I would like to put my tongue in my cheek and suggest there are a few people that could contribute the rocks in their head for free. (Removing tongue and back to the topic.)

Once the rocks are purchased, the labour to get them into place is just down the road. During the flood, some of the residents in the Brandon Corrections Centre demonstrated excellent community service on the dykes and in other places where brawn was desperately needed. Many received business cards with pleas to contact the business owner because they had shown their leadership and work ethic that the business needed. I regularly dropped off snacks on my way home because they were working to protect my home in the old part of Kirkcaldy. They appeared happy to be doing something constructive rather than counting the hours in their (overcrowded) cells.

There are also programs to hire the under thirty who need experience. Is there an environmental science or engineering student at BU, U of Manitoba, U of Regina, U of Winnipeg, etc. that could use this as part of their studies or even their graduate thesis?

By thinking outside of the box rather than going into panic mode, Brandon can retain a beautiful and educational asset, give people who want to reform an opportunity to redeem themselves, and let a student receive a life changing experience. If those that favour this idea could donate what they can afford for a stone or two, the repair could be done with minimal government cheque writing so that it becomes a feather in the cap of the citizens rather than a photo op with ugly signs and Harpers's profile (or was that supposed to be signs and Harper's ugly profile).

Comment if you have anything to add to this discussion.