Warmer temperatures are signaling spring’s official arrival next week — and leaving City of Red Deer Public Works staff with a lot of pooling water to deal with.
“The whole city is warming up,” said Parks and Public Works manager Greg Sikora on Thursday. With the temperature climbing to 8 C and higher over the last few days, more than 100 public complaints have come in about backed-up storm sewer drains around the city.
“Crews have cleared about 50 catch basins on a complaint basis, so far,” added Sikora. But he estimates another 75 service requests remain on their to-do list.
Drainage problems occur when leaves and other debris that flow down into storm drains in the fall freeze underground over the winter. This creates a blockage and prevents snowmelt from draining properly into catch basins when the weather first begins to warm, he explained.
Sikora said city workers try to be proactive and watch for obviously clogged gutters while they are plowing streets of snow. But it’s logistically impossible to check all of the storm sewers before snow starts melting— so the city must rely on the public to report where “pond-ing” occurs on roads.
Crews will then arrive to flush out the blockage — as they did Thursday on Pamely Avenue in the Pines.
He noted highest priority is given to dealing with water that could be causing property damage, or could be impeding access to emergency service vehicles.
As it’s now mid-March, the City of Red Deer will not be systematically plowing residential streets, although many are deeply rutted from freeze-thaw cycles.
But city crews will still plow roads on a complaint basis.
Sikora said all the pros and cons must be weighed when it gets this late in the season. Some members of the public had previously complained city crews were needlessly plowing grey zones just as the snow was melting. And he knows many Red Deerians don’t like the snow piles that are left behind after residential plowing, blocking access to on-street parking.
However, if some residents are having trouble driving on their residential street or are getting stuck in their back lane, he urged them to let Public Works know. He said crews will be sent out to plow their pavement or grade the lane.
Red Deerians can use the Report-a-Problem function on the city’s website, or call 403-342-8241. (Sikora said using the website will result in a faster response because this information can be accessed even when crews aren’t in the office.)