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Time to plug city’s floods
Springtime in a growing city crossed by waterways and dappled with low-lying areas is flood time. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Ottawa could be better prepared.
Rain and melting snow can make for an expensive, stressful, smelly and hazardous mess when basements flood and sewers back up. The problem has hit many parts of the city in the last year or two: Sandy Hill, Alta Vista, Kanata and Nepean.
The angry atmosphere at a recent public meeting in Nepean showed that homeowners are fed up, as they should be. So should people who live in other parts of the city, as Ottawa could find itself facing expensive legal claims. It’s time the city took flooding seriously. Flooding has happened often enough in the last decade that it is not restricted to the “once-in-a-century” storms.
Councillor Rick Chiarelli says people in parts of Nepean just barely had time to finish renovations made necessary by the autumn flooding, when they were hit again this spring. Homeowners, and insurance companies that financially back them, need more stability than that.
Mr. Chiarelli says it’s still not clear how much of the blame lies with the city. A budgetary freeze prevented a planned cleaning of the sewers, but that may not have caused the problem.
He says some homeowners may be taking shortcuts with their storm water, pumping it into the sewer system rather than the ditches. That could be exacerbating the problem.
If there are simple ways homeowners can help prevent floods, they should. And as angry as they are, they should at least listen to the city’s explanations and educate themselves about the storm and sewer systems.
The city is taking one small first step. A committee voted to pay 80 per cent of the cost of back-flow valves for homes in eligible areas that have been flooded, up to $4,000; and 50 per cent for homes that have not. This could prevent some damage and allow homeowners in those areas to take a breath of relief. But the problem requires a systemic solution.
Sandy Hill was one of many neighbourhoods hit by a major rainfall in September. Councillor Georges Bedard says the proposed back-flow valves are a short-term solution; a permanent solution will take the form of a new collector system.
Mr. Bedard says the city is putting together detailed information about the factors contributing to flooding in the area, such as poor drainage in parking lots.
The city should examine the effect its broader planning policies have on drainage. If over-paving is increasing the risk of flooding, that is one more reason for the city to be wise in its development decisions, and prevent asphalt from entirely taking over the city.
Even if it only bears part of the blame, the city must take control of solving this problem. There may be many neighbourhoods that need more or better sewers. Regular maintenance of the system is an essential city task. Ottawa will get major storms from time to time. It is only prudent to prepare for them.