When it finally rains in Rocky View County, it pours.
County officials issued a heavy rainfall advisory, May 23, as the area was predicted to receive up to 70 mm of rain by May 25 and wind gusts up to 50 km/h, according to Environment Canada.
“We want to ensure that residents of Rocky View understand the risks that come with heavy rainfall,” said Byron Riemann, acting County manager.
He said this will increase the volume of bodies of water throughout the county.
“The rivers and waterways will be running high and fast,” he added.
“We strongly urge residents to stay away from them, and to avoid driving through any area that is covered with water.”
In a release posted on the County website, residents were encouraged to take preventative measures to avoid floods and to ensure personal safety by making sure sump pumps were working properly; removing leaves and debris from eaves troughs, downspouts and gutters; turning off automatic sprinkler systems; and blocking off or installing backflow preventers on basement floor drains.
“This advisory is mainly about overall awareness – making sure that people in high-prone areas are well informed,” he said
He added properties close to riverbeds, such as the Bragg Creek area, are more prone to impact.
Rocky View County council approved a policy for flood response at a meeting in January, which outlined the order of priority, criteria and budgeting process for drainage concerns or floods reported by landowners and businesses.
According to the policy, the County responds to all concerns that are reported, which are prioritized by level of importance and damage, taking into account the public’s health and safety, the impact to County infrastructure, the damage to private property resulting from County property and non-County property, and loss of business.
Riemann said whether or not flooding would be a serious issue in the County would be dependent on how much rain the area receives. If landowners or businesses experience flooding on their own property, the claim is dealt with by their own insurance company.
However, flooding of septic fields can be reported to the County’s Emergency Response Services at 403-230-1401.
The amount of moisture in the region has lead to Rocky View Fire Services to lift the Level III fire ban that was implemented in the county on April 25.
In June 2012, heavy rains prompted Alberta Environment to issue a high stream flow alert for the Bow River Basin and its tributaries upstream of Calgary.
In the same month last year, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation announced the closure of a number of provincial parks due to flood risk.
In the Kananaskis area, parks and recreation areas and trails were closed down.
