Council Denies Resident's Request To Clear Snow
A resident’s request to have the City clean out a drainage area with 8 to 10 feet of snow blown into was denied, not because the City could not do it but largely by what might be buried under all of the snow.
Addressing Council Hodges Crescent resident Curtis Hallborg asked Council to remove snow from a swail (drainage ditch) directly to the west of their properties to help ensure proper drainage of the snow which has blown into resident’s yards.
Snow which if there is a rapid melt could end up flooding into residents’ basements.
The height of the melting snow pack that has been cleared from a yard - MJ Independent photo
Hodges explained the concerns about potential water in residents basements based upon the amount of snow and his expertise in the field.
He is a professional civil engineer with 14 years of experience in hydrology.
“I do know a little bit about what I am talking to you about today I am not coming to you as a layperson,” he said.
Hodges said the properties were developed to allow for excess water to drain to the west and down into the drainage swale where there were large drainage piping to take the water away where it would end up in the Spring Creek on a normal year.
This year’s large amount of snow as well as wind blowing the snow into the swale and people’s backyards is a major concern.
“Any time there is lose snow and a west wind that transports that snow to the east into the ditch and our backyards. So in a typical year you might see the snow fill that drainage swale…it hasn’t been an issue it has been fun…it has typically not been an issue but this 2022 has been anything but typical.”
Another backyard cleared out showing the height of the melting snow - MJ Independent photo
He said in a typical year the swale has eight feet of snow in it but this year many of the backyards have the same amount of snow in them.
Because the snow was compacted it represented two to three feet of water.
“The fears that we have are of melt water..it is quite concerning “
“Our concerns are what is going to happen once Spring (arrives) and we know it is not feasible to move snow from our backyards that is not what we are asking the City to look after…with that swale full of snow I don’t believe proper drainage is going to occur,” he said, adding “if it is a slow melt it will be OK but I could see basement flooding if it melts rapidly.”
Hallborg said what residents were asking for the City to clear the snow out of the swale and not snow from individual property owners’ yards.
The length of the swale is about 320 meters in length.
“Without that swale being cleaned out there is no way that melt water from our yards can make it to the catch basin.”
COUNCIL DISCUSSION
Councillor Jamey Logan asked about all of the items encroaching in City property adjacent the swale.
“I see a lot of things encroaching out back and I am not sure how the responsibility would fall for those items like trampolines and play structures and potentially who knows what under the snow,” Councillor Logan said.
Public Works Manager Darren Stephanson said after conversations with Hallborg the City did commit to opening up the drainage structure.
Stephanson went on to state given the five foot drainage pipe in West Park freezing of the drain pipe was not much of a concern.
“There is no indication the drainage infrastructure would prove to be inefficient in Westpark at this point.”
He pointed out that cleaning out the swale was a 700 meter distance and more depending on how any cleaning out of the swale despite the 320 meter length already mentioned.
“It took a better part of a day to clear about 40 meters of snow out. There is certainly a lot of risk in this type of work as Councillor Logan noted,” he said, adding there were potential infrastructure the City would be unaware of including residents’ items outside of their fences.
“Consequently when did this work last week we did damage a couple of pieces of infrastructure just getting that 40 meters opened up to open up the catch basin. So those are some repairs that will have to be made later this Summer.”
Stephanson quoted the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency that there should be a below normal runoff this Spring plus the weather forecast indicated the conditions for a slow runoff in the next two weeks.
The work the City did to clear the drains - MJ Independent photo
“We feel we have taken sufficient action to facilitate drainage so consistent with practices we carry out each year and we recommend no further action at this time.”
Councillor Logan thought the solution would be easy by simply running a snowblower down the center of the trench, but the reality was is it is not.
“When I took a trip over there I seen the damaged pedestal we mistakenly hit already. I seen a trampoline in the snow out back and I seen the top of a play structure of some sort that looks to be a wooden swing set and those were things I could see. Who knows what else is down there so the simple snowblower down the middle of that swale is certainly not that simple.”
A SaskTel pedestal that was hidden under the snow and destroyed in the snow removal efforts - MJ Independent photo
Councillor Doug Blanc said he had driven by the area and “there is a lot of snow but I did see some of the damage and I understand we could potentially damage other private fences, trampolines, sheds and whatnot.”
Councillor Blanc said there was lots of snow between the houses - he estimated between two houses it was nine feet tall - and given the width there was no way the City could maneuver their equipment in such a confined space to help out.
Councillor Logan said some of the homeowners had hired a contractor to move snow off their front yards and from only seven houses they had moved 22 loads of snow.
Council voted 6 - 0 to turn down the request, Council Crystal Froese was absent.