Gage Park pond will help stop flooding
It’s not nearly as flashy as Gage Park’s new tropical greenhouse, but wonderfully utilitarian.
The long rocky trench on the eastern edge of the park looks like a landscaping project. But it’s not.
“It’s a stormwater management facility,” says Marco Oddi, the city’s construction manager.
The $2.3-million pond, modified catch basins and new piping are meant to alleviate the hit to the area’s sewer system during big storms.
“There’s been a history of flooding in the lower east end of Hamilton,” Oddi said.
In July 2009, a torrential thunderstorm left numerous basements in the area waterlogged and forced the closure of the Red Hill Valley Parkway.
The project will involve a new outlet pipe at King Street East and Kensington Avenue that ties into the combined sewer system (sanitary and storm).
Plates will also be installed in catch basins in the Kensington and Rothsay Avenue area to restrict the flow of water during severe downpours.
With an inlet pipe installed on Montclair Avenue, the water will pool on the road during those big storms but eventually drain.
“That’s not a concern,” Oddi said.
“It’s designed to do this.” The water will be directed to
the new pond, making for a gentler flow of water into the sewer system.
Weather-permitting, the hope
is to reopen King Street at the end of this month and finish the pond by mid November. Oddi expects work on the inlet pipe at Montclair to be completed in spring.