CALGARY (660 NEWS) — The federal government announced on Wednesday their plan to contribute $168.5 million to prevent future flooding in Southern Alberta.

A project that will ⬆️ the resilience of 80,000 people from Calgary & the River Stream exposed to flooding risks. By supporting flood mitigation projects, we are ensuring that there are fewer interruptions to the economy & saving future costs. #BuildingCanada #Cdnpoli

The money will go towards supporting the construction of the Springbank Dry Dam — an off-stream storage reservoir in Rocky View County diverting flood-flow from the Elbow River. That water would be temporarily held at the reservoir until the peak of the flood has passed.

This project is expected to help protect thousands of peoples homes, schools, and businesses from future flood damage similar to the one Calgary saw in 2013.

“I am very pleased to be here – I’ve spent the last few days here in Alberta” says Champagne. “This will benefit directly 80,000 Calgarians – it will protect their homes and livelihoods” #yyc — Ian Campbell (@news_ian) March 13, 2019

“The sooner we act, the better Canadians will be. When we plan ahead we’re protecting our families and our homes, we are protecting peoples businesses and livelihoods and the essential infrastructure we all rely on, on a daily basis,” said Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Francois-Philippe Champagne.

The project is part of the Disaster Mitigation Adaption Fund (DMAF) which is $2-billion, 10-year program set up to help communities build the infrastructure it will need to withstand natural disasters.

“This is the sixth spring that we’ve dealt with since 2013 and what we know is that these rivers that are our reason for being can also be our greatest danger. It is incredibly important for us to adapt to them and to make sure we protect what’s important to us, people’s livelihoods, peoples homes, and downtown Calgary,” said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi

The announcement follows a similar one in Canmore where $13.7-million in funding was announced for a project to protect against debris flooding in the Bow Valley.