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Residents of a Gatineau, Que. neighbourhood that has flooded repeatedly, gave city councillors an earful Tuesday night over what they perceive as a lack of commitment to fix the area’s sewage system.
Armed with plungers, about 60 residents showed up to a meeting with councillors to push for upgrades they had been calling for since 1994, but came away with few reassurances.
Yannick Fortin, whose finished basement was ruined by a three-foot high pool of sewage, asked when the flooding problems might be fixed, but was told only that city engineers were assessing the issue.
“It’s a non-answer. They’re claiming they didn’t know about it? I feel short-changed,” said Fortin.
Several councillors pointed out the city spent millions of dollars building retaining ponds, without which last month’s giant rain fall could have caused far more damage.
Fortin said that’s little comfort to those who have had their homes repeatedly flood.
“How long should I expect to fear, each time we have a thunderstorm?”
Houses in the Limbour neighbourhood have flooded six times in the last 15 years, most recently two weeks ago during St-Jean Baptiste Day after heavy thunderstorms hit the area.
About 100 millimetres of rain fell over two days, washing over banks of a creek in the neighbourhood and submerging 14 streets and about 100 homes, filling basements with water and washing out roads.
Michelle Légaré, who lives on du Virgilier, said her street has flooded in 1986, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2007 and this year. Each time, she says, the community asks the city to help put in place better sewers.
After the second flood in 1994, the residents launched a lawsuit against the city, which settled in 1998 when the city refunded the residents and insisted they install a pump in their basement.
Some residents installed a city pump, while others paid for their own pumps.
But many residents found out two weeks ago that the city pumps did little to stop the flooding.