Flood Damage Reduction Program

Communities, including cities, towns, villages and hamlets, are eligible to apply. Rural municipalities may only apply on behalf of hamlets.  WSA is accepting applications from August 1 to October 15. 

The program provides cost-shared assistance at 50 per cent government contribution to a maximum of $99,500 for flood damage reduction or prevention measures provided: 

• the municipal contribution equals the government contribution for eligible costs; 

• the measure is eligible according to the program profile, provides long-term protection from risk of flood damage and meets provincial standards; 

• applications from municipalities will be accepted until October 15, 2025; 

• eligible costs are incurred up to March 15, 2026; 

• the measure has been recommended by an engineer or technical specialist; 

• approval to undertake the measure is secured in advance from the Water Security Agency (WSA); and, 

• the applicable regulatory approvals are obtained prior to the start of implementation (e.g. drainage approval, Aquatic Habitat Protection Permit, etc.). 

Applications will be considered for approval on a first-come, first-served basis until the program budget is fully allocated. Should any funds remain following payment processing for approved projects, additional applications in the queue will be considered. 

WSA will consider funding implementation of the most cost-effective measures to address the flood risk. 

WSA will apply a cost-benefit analysis in certain cases to determine if the investment in protecting a value (e.g., a building) is sound, verifying whether its benefits (e.g., long-term value of the building) outweigh the costs for the protection, and if so, by how much. 

Eligible costs: 

• Purchase of materials and supplies; 

• Consultant and contractor fees; 

• Road haul levies as part of materials cost (typically included in costs charged by contractors); 

• Overtime or exceptional labour for employees of the client (base salaries ineligible) or wages for employees hired specifically to implement funded flood mitigation measures; 

• Equipment rental; 

• Costs of extraction and reclamation when materials are sourced from client’s own land; and 

• Clients’ use of their own equipment or machinery (at standard industry rates). 

Ineligible costs: 

• Costs associated with temporary measures (sandbagging, pumping, temporary ditching or diking, and channel clearing) unless the measures are required to allow construction of permanent works; 

• Purchase of land; 

• Purchase of equipment; 

• Purchase of materials sourced from the client’s own land (clay, sand, rock, etc.); 

• Purchase of reusable temporary mitigation products (refillable dykes, water tubes, etc.); 

• Replacement or maintenance of existing infrastructure (culverts, berms, dykes, etc.); 

• Base salaries for municipal employees; 

• Voluntary labour; 

• Rental of hand tools or power tools owned or purchased by the client; 

• Fees for permits from government agencies; and 

• Goods and Services Tax and Provincial Sales Tax. 

The Risk Assessment stream offers support for acquiring consulting services for hydrologic and/or hydraulic investigations for areas within the community that suffer recurrent flood damage. 

The Flood Mapping stream offers support for acquiring consulting services for obtaining flood maps for the community. We recommend that communities interested in this stream contact WSA as there are currently some ongoing flood mapping projects. 

The Mitigation Planning stream offers support for acquiring construction design or to undertake development of an emergency flood response plan. 

The Structural Project stream offers support for constructing permanent flood protection works. 

Eligible projects include: 

• Developing hydrologic and hydraulic investigation reports; 

• Developing flood maps; 

• Developing emergency flood response plans; 

• Designing and constructing permanent dykes/berms; 

• Designing and installing new or upgraded culverts, structures and gates; 

• Designing and constructing permanent diversion works, ditches or channel improvements; 

• Flood proofing municipal buildings; and 

• Relocating buildings. 

This program does not cover: 

• General maintenance and replacement of existing structures; 

• Slope failure; 

• Shoreline erosion; 

• Mitigating flood risk due to municipal stormwater/wastewater where there is no external factor impacting the flooding; 

• Mitigating flood risk on: 

• Cropland and pastureland; 

• Orchards, golf courses and gardens; 

• Groundwater seepage into buildings; 

For assistance with the application and to submit completed applications, please contact the Program Coordinator at efdrp@wsask.ca. 

Upon receipt of an application, a technical investigation may be undertaken resulting in a report evaluating the flood risk and recommending options to mitigate flood risk. Technical inspections are done at no cost to the municipality. 

Upon WSA approval of the flood mitigation measures, the municipality is required to sign an agreement with WSA outlining the flood mitigation measures to be implemented, the cost-sharing rate and other terms satisfactory to WSA. 

Once an agreement is signed, the municipality will commence work or hire contractors or consultants to undertake the work. Upon completion, invoices with proof of payment must be submitted to WSA for reimbursement. WSA will not be responsible for interest charges on paid or unpaid invoices. 

Final payment to the municipality is subject to final inspection and the receipt of required documentation (i.e., equipment logs, timesheets, invoices and paid receipts). 

As a condition for assistance, the proponent shall hold WSA and the consultants, agents and contractors contracted to WSA harmless from all damages or claims that may result from measures undertaken pursuant to this program.

Implementation of flood mitigation measures must adhere to all federal, provincial and municipal regulatory requirements and all projects must meet provincial standards to be considered for funding. 

The program may provide funding for completion of the construction of permanent flood protection works previously funded under EFDRP that were not completed. Additionally, if a community was deemed not at immediate risk and thus ineligible for EFDRP, they may be eligible for FDRP. 

Program funding between these two programs cannot exceed $99,500. 

The program will not provide funding for flood mitigation measures that qualify for assistance under the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program administered by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.