Excessive rainfalls in Rocky View County last week led to severe flooding in Conrich, blocking residents of a cul-de-sac from driving in and out of their properties.
Rocky View County Communications Manager Grant Kaiser confirmed there was flooding to an access road serving 10 homes on a cul-de-sac in Conrich, as a result of the heavy rains. He said this was primarily an issue of vehicle access.
“You could walk in and out through the side/rear of the properties, but you couldn’t drive in and out,” said Kaiser.
Reports from other media sources say some residents claim the flooding has been a reoccurring problem for three years. A residents said, the recent development on Conrich Road where a stormwater pond was recently built to service a new development, also contributed to the flooding.
Kaiser confirmed the affected area is north of a wetland area with two stormwater ponds.
Two residents say in the report that their complaints to County officials have not been dealt with.
Area Councillor Earl Solberg said the area has never flooded before but he was aware the access road was quite low in comparison to the amount of water held in the storm water pond.
“The infrastructure department was aware of the road being soft and that remedial work had to be done. We all got caught with the huge amount of rain coming down in such a short period of time which really exacerbated the problem,” said Solberg.
He also said the department has hired an out-sourced engineering firm to review the infrastructure that was developed in the affected area.
Solberg said the review will be “double-checking the existing stormwater plans that have been commissioned and approved.”
Environment Canada predicted areas in Rocky View County would receive up to 70 milimetres of rain between May 23 and 25. The heavy rainfall continued through May 31, amounting to an average of 75 to 95 mm, according to Environment Canada Senior Climatologist David Philips.
“This has been one of the wettest such weeks in a long, long time. We don’t break things (statistics) down by week, so we can’t say whether we’ve broken a record, but we are approaching double what we normally have for this time of year,” said Phillips.
Reeve Rolly Ashdown said the Conrich issue was first brought to his attention May 28.
“I am satisfied with what the County is doing for them and hope it gets them out of the jam they’re in,” said Ashdown.
He confirmed, May 31, the County has two pumps on-site to drain the water and crews have been working to build up the road.
The road was passable by four-wheel drive trucks May 31, but Ashdown said he hoped the road would regain normal access by the weekend.
“Crews have been working all week on the problem, however, the heavy rainfall has not let up, making it difficult to get ahead of the situation,” added Kaiser.
Councillor Al Sacuta said that although “this is the first I’ve heard about the flooding issue in Conrich,” drainage problems are an ongoing concern in the County, particularly in regards to new developments.
“We go through these kinds of problems every year in Bearspaw because of the heavy rain in June,” he said. “We shouldn’t be seeing these kinds of problems in areas that supposedly have engineering solutions to the stormwater issues.”
In a council meeting May 28, Rocky View County council approved the 2013 Servicing Standards, which guides development of public infrastructure, including stormwater ponds. Current standards will apply to developments approved after March 5, 2013.
Former Rocky View councillor and resident, Gordon Branson, was present at council on May 23to voice his concerns about the new Servicing Standards.
Branson said the standards needed to be more specific about the County’s course of response to damages to property resulting from new development activity.
Specifically, he said he said stormwater planning and design factors need closer scrutiny.
The 300-page document details the minimum standards developers must meet.
“A fairly consistent element of concern brought forward when I was a councillor was the enforcement of development plans that have already been approved,” said Branson.
“If you have a lax requirement for compliance to servicing standards and limited or no enforcement, you’re going to develop anti-development attitudes,” said Branson.
He added that decreased property values in areas that are affected by flooding are an additional concern.
The County’s Flood Response Guide is available at the County website and includes information on when the responsibility of flooding damage falls to the County and when it falls to property owners.
The County has also issued two heavy rainfall advisories, on May 23 and again on May 29, reminding residents how to respond to flooding concerns.
“The advisory is mainly about overall awareness – making sure people in high-prone areas are well informed,” said Acting County Manager of Infrastructure and Operations Byron Riemanm.
For more information, visit www.rockyview.ca
