DUC is partnering with ʔaq̓am, the Nature Trust of BC (NTBC), and the Province of BC’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (WLRS) to redesign an existing wetland impoundment and dike system known as Bummers Flats into a natural self-sustaining floodplain and wetland complex (the “Project”). The Project lies on the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa and Secwépemc peoples and is located on a 500-hectare floodplain along the Kootenay River, 11 km north of Fort Steele. The Project comprises a series of impounded marshes and uplands along the eastern bank of the Kootenay River. The area was historically part of the Kootenay River floodplain and is located on lands managed by NTBC and WLRS. The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway (CPKC) borders the project to the east, next to Highway 93.

DUC, ʔaq̓am, NTBC and WLRS plan to decommission and remove the water control structures, block ditches and other drainage features, remove or lower internal dikes, and create inlets and outlets in the perimeter dikes to reconnect floodplain processes and habitat. The Project will remove existing infrastructure and create conditions for natural and self-sustaining flooding.

This Request for Proposals will serve two purposes: 1) to select a contractor to complete deliverables for Phase 1 of the Project between March 7, 2025 and March 31, 2026 and 2) to create a list of qualified contractors that will be invited to submit proposals to future phases of the Project. Proposals must be delivered via email before January 31, 2025 at 16:30 Pacific Standard Time.