'Bit of an operational task': Water pooling due to windrow stacking adds to city crew workload
Water pooling on residential roads due to blocked drains is an emerging concern the City of Edmonton says it is tackling.
At a media update on Monday, Andrew Grant, the city's supervisor of field operations, explained that crews were dealing with several residential areas where stacked windrows have inadvertently blocked drainage access, causing pooling water that can create icy conditions.
"With the warmer weather, catch basins have become a bit of an operational task to release the water that we see ponding," Grant said.
"This is something that we usually deal with in the spring," he added. "It's just a constant battle with Mother Nature this year."
"It's nothing new to us when it comes to the ponding of water around those catch basins," he added, "(it's just) not something we usually see this time of year."
Mitch Waters had to clear out some of the windrow covering the catch basin near his home to help drain pooling water in front of his driveway — on his day off nonetheless.
"There's been some large windrows pilling up," Waters said, adding that the city has done a good job of making sure driveways remain accessible.
"(They) just need to make sure that we keep those water mains clear so that we can get some good runoff," he said.
Mitch Waters decided to take matters into his own hands and chip away at some of the windrows blocking a catch basin near his home (CTV News Edmonton/Dave Mitchell).
Grant said city crews are working with EPCOR to identify and respond to neighbourhoods experiencing flooding due to covered drains.
The city reinforced that it does not do windrow removal along residential streets. Crews are undertaking a pilot project testing windrow removal in the Griesbach area to help the city assess the process and cost of it.
Anyone experiencing flooding due to ponding is asked to report it to 311 Grant said so city crews and EPCOR can respond. The level of flooding determines the priority of response and whether there is property damage or potential for it.
"When we see these fluctuating temperatures, this is one of the complications that we have, especially in relation to the windrows that we are seeing," he added.
"We will continue to work throughout the city to expose and open up some of those catch basins."
To see the location of catch basins in your area, visit the City of Edmonton Open Data Portal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.