FLOODING SOLUTIONS SOUGHT
Lakeshore spends $350K on study
Lakeshore is spending $350,000 to develop a storm water master plan in hopes of preventing the impact of devastating floods experienced during two “storms of the century ” since September 2016.
“We’re looking for solutions and how to avoid what’s happened in the past,” Mayor Tom Bain said. “There are so many little things that you can do … such as putting in these backwater valves, making sure that your eaves and everything are running out and away from your property.”
Bain said the town’s review will focus on ensuring drainage ditches and pumps are all up to specifications and that holding ponds are adequate.
“It’s these types of things that we’ll have the experts come up with in the plan and then we’ll try to institute a lot of their recommendations,” Bain said, adding the money is well spent when you compare it to the huge losses experienced by some homeowners. Bain said $350,000 sounds like a lot but not when you look at the amount of damage some homeowner experienced — $50,000 to $60,000 in some cases.
“It doesn’t take long to add up to that,” he said. “It’s worth the expense if it prevents future flooding.”
One homeowner affected by the storms was Dawn Van Vlack, who along with husband David Orchard experienced flooding in their Pierella Drive home.
During the 2016 flooding, water began to “gurgle up” through the basement drain but Van Vlack, who has lived in the home for 16 years, said they were able to clear it out with a shop vac before it caused any damage.
They weren’t so lucky during the August 2017 flooding. “It seemed to happen all of (a sudden) in like 20 minutes to half an hour,” Van Vlack said.
The family was upstairs watching a movie when the heavy rains came. They checked the basement sump pump several times throughout the movie.
“The third time we went down, there was water everywhere,” she said. “It was just pouring up through the drain.”
The water level peaked at about a foot in their basement.
Van Vlack said they were fortunate insurance covered the damage but they still lost a lot of personal items and felt a lot of anxiety over their safety.
“Once that happens you’re fearful,” she said. “My husband and I lived in the dining room for two months while our bedroom was restored.”
Since the flooding, the couple has installed a back-flow valve. Nelson Cavacas, director of engineering and infrastructure services, said the plan will provide short-, mid- and long-term recommendations for infrastructure enhancements that may include increasing sewer pipes, storm water pond storage and pump station capacities.
The municipality has about 141 kilometres of urban storm sewers, 19 storm water management facilities and 26 urban storm pump stations. Drainage in urban areas is also served by municipal drains and two storm water pumping stations near Lake St. Clair.
The proposed study area for the first phase is from County Road 42 north to Lake St. Clair and from Duck Creek west to the town limits.
A second study, which will require more funding, will look at the balance of urban and settlement areas to the east and south. Cavacas said the analysis will review how the town’s infrastructure works during minor and major rainfalls. Overland flood routes will be assessed, as will grading on road rights of way. Lakeshore’s rapid growth rate has put pressure on its drainage. “When you get more homes, that’s covering more green space and hardtop, so you’ve got a lot more run-off,” Bain said. “You’ve got to handle that water because it’s, boom, there instantly. When it comes real fast and real hard, the systems can’t handle it. “So we’re looking at ways of — through this report — bolstering our system and making it stronger.”
Once that happens you’re fearful. My husband and I lived in the dining room for two months while our bedroom was restored.