What can be done about flooding?
A look at what can be done in New Hamburg about the next extreme flood
NEW HAMBURG — The answer to the question doesn’t seem to be simple — what to do about the flooding in New Hamburg?
On Feb. 21, New Hamburg was hit with its worst flood in over a decade. Roads were shut down, cars needed to be towed, a water rescue call was made and a number of basements were flooded, either from water entering the exterior of the building or sewage back up.
With clear determinants from this occurrence, and hazardous weather conditions still affecting southern Ontario in mid-April, what are possible solutions to extreme flooding? What can be done by those monitoring the Nith River, those dealing with the flooding first-hand, the municipal government, or even an organization dedicated to helping people with climate change and extreme weather events?
The Grand River Conservation Authority
Since the Nith River is a part of the Grand River watershed, it is entirely monitored and maintained by the conservation authority.
Maintenance was last conducted on the Nith River in New Hamburg during November 2017, when GRCA workers spent roughly three weeks repairing a dike near the Sobeys plaza. This consisted of removing dead trees and overgrown roots to the construct in order to maintain its stability, which in turn prevents what GRCA representative Cam Linwood describes as “more frequent flooding, typical to spring time.”
What happened on Feb. 21 was far from typical, says Linwood. When it comes to extreme events, he says the conservation authority takes action by, “monitoring the forecast and river, then communicating with the potentially affected communities and first responders accordingly.”
Preventive measures and possible flooding solutions are not as clear for the conservation authority. The organization currently has a number of gages to monitor the Nith, starting in the community of Nithburg outside of Wellesley, and patrols park services in between the markers. They also have reservoirs along the greater Grand River watershed that help with upstream flooding, but even if they were on the Nith, Linwood says they would still be, “at the mercy of the weather.”
Basement flooding victim
When John Bailey first purchased his property on the corner of Burns and Mill streets in 1968, he wasn’t told about the regular flooding of the nearby Nith River.
He says he has lost track of the number of times he and those renting out space in the building have had to deal with a flooded basement. This includes the recent Feb. 21 occurrence, when he was away on vacation.
While a tenant operated two sump pumps to prevent basement flooding, Bailey’s son accessed his father’s workshop to take his handcrafted canoe and help assist on the water rescue call at the nearby Sobeys parking lot, just down the street.
Bailey was tickled to hear this story about his son’s heroics, but frustrated to hear about the basement. “There’s nothing that can really stop basement flooding,” he said.
He has only ever been able to deal with basement flooding, he says, by using the two sump pumps he was able to purchase thanks to the funding of a local group founded by New Hamburg resident Paul Knowles.
At the time, he wondered why the township wouldn’t offer contributions. “The township never pays, they only bump up taxes,” Bailey said.
Wilmot Township
“We can’t expect taxpayers to take on the expenses of flood damages,” said Wilmot Township Mayor Les Armstrong. “People who buy a house by the river know that it floods and should investigate beforehand if they don’t. Many homeowners around the high risk areas have taken lots of preventive action.”
Armstrong also says that no programs or incentives have been presented or pursued by council to provide items such as sump pumps to households in high risk areas.
Instead, he cites actions they have been able to take, like the recent reconstruction to an end of Jacob Street that has since slowed the flow of flooding. They township has also been able to provide sand for residents around Norm Hill Park to put in bags.
“We don’t have the wherewithal to provide programs,” Armstrong said.
Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation
Every model and report that head of the ICCA Blair Feltmate has seen suggest the levels and intensities of precipitation events — namely floodings — will increase in the near future.
This is why his applied research centre, run out of the University of Waterloo, works to help homeowners, communities, governments and businesses identify and reduce the risks associated with extreme weather events.
For homeowners, Feltmate suggest installing downspout disconnects from eavestroughs, backwater valves and highfunctioning sump pumps.
While pumps help deal with getting water out of basements, a downspout disconnect directs water accumulated on eavestroughs away from sewage areas, thus reducing backup flow. The backwater valve helps prevent outbound water from re-entering a residency, usually in the form of sewage backup.
“In my opinion, a township should at least help to provide these options to high risk areas,” said Feltmate. “It helps the homeowner, it helps the insurer, and it helps the property value and therefore the township.
“Everyone wins protecting against basement flooding.”