Image: The Middlesboro Phase 1 Project is going ahead after a $3.4 million provincial grant. / City of Merritt

By Alyssa Conti

FLOOD PROTECTION

Merritt receives over $3.4M provincial grant for flood protection diking project

May 10, 2025 | 8:02 AM

MERRITT — The City of Merritt has received $3.4 million from the provincial government to construct new flood protections.

Phase 1 of the Middlesboro Diking Project will install a critical section of dikes in Merritt, which would safeguard homes, businesses and other vital buildings. The project includes a setback dike to allow the river to run more naturally through the Coldwater River corridor.

“With support from the Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding (DRIF) program, we now have the funding to complete a vital section of the flood protection dike that was previously unfunded,” wrote Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz. “Thank you to the Province of British Columbia for helping us fill this critical gap and build a more resilient Merritt for the future.”

Merritt after the devastating November 2021 flooding event. / City of Merritt

Many components of the City’s 2022 Flood Mitigation Plan previously faced funding setbacks, making this project a significant milestone in the process. The project is set to proceed once dike alignments are confirmed and engineering work can begin. The DRIF grant will cover all costs.

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Last year, Goetz joined other B.C. mayors in fighting to have federal funding after the atmospheric flooding events of 2021. The disaster cost the City of Merritt hundreds of millions of dollars in destruction.