On August 8, 2013 MP
Barry Devolin announced that the Trent-Severn Waterway had engaged AECOM to
conduct a review of the flood event on the Gull River and water management
decisions taken by the Trent Severn Waterway staff before, during and after the
floods along the Gull River this past spring – click here.
Previously, the
Coalition had submitted suggestions for the scope of such a review – click here.
Thanks to Barry
Devolin we have now seen the ‘Objective’ and ‘Scope of Work’ for the AECOM
review – click here. Regrettably AECOM’s
‘Scope of Work’ is limited to a review of the actions of the TSW before and
during the event comparing those actions with their responsibilities. There is no
indication that the review will examine the physical capacity of the system to
mitigate floods nor does it address any physical and operational changes that
might help reduce risk in the future.
The Coalition awaits
AECOM’s findings with interest but is concerned that the scope of the review
may be too limited to serve the broader public interest in terms of learning
lessons from the flood and proposing solutions for the future.