Glen Cairn Community Association (GCCA) held a meeting to discuss 'How Residents Can Protect Themselves and the Community from Flooding'

Speakers:
Allan Hubley, GCCA
Dave Atkins, Flood Committee re Fats, Oil & Grease (FOG)
Eric Tousignant, Project Manager, Glen Cairn Flood Investigation
Michael Burt, Residential Protective Plumbing Program
Sheldon Osmond, Backwater Valves

How to protect your residence from flooding:

• Inspect window wells
• Clean eavestroughs and check downspouts
• Repair foundation wall cracks
• Lot grading

How to protect the Community from flooding:

• Report blockages in drains and the river to the City at 311 – make sure to ask for a reference number in case follow-up is required by GCCA or the Councillor’s Office
• Fats, Oil and Grease (FOG) in sewer pipes:
• Can cause backups in the sanitary sewer pipes on the street and in the sewer laterals
• Don’t put them down the sink with hot water
• Pour liquid into a can or wipe the pan with a paper towel and place them in the regular garbage

Backwater Valves

• Are a secondary line of defense
• Are 2 types:

1. backwater valve on the sanitary line normally stays open because the sanitary system needs a vent so air can flow through the system
2. backwater valve on the storm system normally stays closed and allows water from the foundation drain to flow out to the street but if the storm sewer surcharges, water can’t go back to the foundation
Residents’ Concerns/Questions re Residential Protective Plumbing Program (RPPP):

• 50% RPPP coverage for all residents vs 100% for flooded/semi-detached/adjacent homes

A: City focus is on those flooded and those adjacent; funds are limited
Action: GCCA to push for everyone in Glen Cairn to be covered

• Impact of neighbours installing backwater valves – sewer systems are pressurized – where will the water or sewage go?

A: water or sewage may go to the unprotected homes – this depends on how much rainwater and groundwater there is and how water gets into the system, the slope, and basement elevations; lowest basements are at highest risk; water is not as likely to go uphill. The City will focus on stopping the water from getting into the sewer systems but can’t guarantee homes will not flood if sewer pipes collapse in the street

• Whether to install backwater valves for the sanitary and storm sewers

A: City recommends these as a second line of defense; may not work if the sewers are pressurized – solutions need to be implemented to prevent this

• Whether sump pumps are needed if a storm backwater valve is installed; sump pumps shouldn’t be needed because we have storm sewers

A: now there is no system in place to prevent surcharge; when the storm backwater valve closes, water may back up around the house and you would need a sump pump to remove it

• Residents are not being given the whole picture to make decisions on these; backwater valves were installed then residents were told later they need sump pumps
• Residents want information on what has been approved – how many sump pumps and where are they

A: R V Anderson is not informing the City. Contact Michael Burt for more information
Action: Eric to report on numbers of backwater valves and sump pumps in the May Public Meeting

• Whether backwater valves and sump pumps are feasible for homes which are on bedrock

A: Not every home needs a sump pump – depends on being in certain areas of Glen Cairn where the storm sewer discharges to the Glen Cairn Pond where the discharge point is lower than the high water level at the Glen Cairn Pond

• Backwater valves from Calgary installed in areas near Morgan’s Grant had problems – are these being used in Glen Cairn?

A: storm backwater valves are not from Calgary

• How to know backwater valve caps are tightened correctly

A: the O-ring has to be sealed and the cap should be hand tightened with a quarter turn left

• Information on maintenance requirements for backwater valves not provided

A: stormwater backwater valves are installed 8 feet below the ground and need maintenance every 6 months – this may be difficult

• Backwater valves are not the solutions. Backwater valves are a band-aid solution to provide some protection until the City can fix the problems which will take some time to study. Solutions may include storage tanks as was done for Sandy Hill
• Backwater valve was installed with partial coverage before the policy changed to include homes adjacent to flooded homes – will the policy be retroactive?

A: Policy decisions are implemented from the date they were approved by Council – the City may need to go back and fix that

Action: Peggy Feltmate has called the City about it and has a meeting scheduled for next week

• How can adjacent residents know if they are facing the same sewer line as flooded neighbours?

A: ask the City to check the maps. Generally if a house is not on a corner lot, the house will be on the same sewer system
Residents’ Concerns/Questions re Insurance Coverage and Rate Increases:

• Residents being charged higher rates or their coverage is being reduced or cut off and one of the reasons provided is because they haven’t installed backwater valves

A: insurance companies make decisions based on postal code. It may also be the broker rather than the insurance company. Insurance companies are not willing to pay the bill while waiting for the City to fix the problems. GCCA will gather voluntary information from individuals on what changes the insurance companies are making to their coverage. Allan gave examples after the 2002 flood on how the GCCA was able to help residents with insurance issues by advising companies that the GCCA would publish a listing of the companies who were helping residents and those who were not.
Action: Allan Hubley to investigate a means for the GCCA to gather the information and potentially host a community meeting on the issue.
Residents’ Concerns/Questions re Flood Problems and Solutions:

• Why are broken pipes being dug up on Castlefrank and Dundegan?

Action: Michael Burt to get an answer as to whether these are the ones reported or if they were found by R V Anderson

• When all the retrofit solutions are done in 3 years can we expect never to flood again?

A: No. Sewer pipes may collapse or there can be a catastrophe if bigger storms come. The City will try to stop the systems from surcharging in extreme events and the backwater valves should provide the second line of defense. Orleans west and east sides of 10th Line Road flooded twice in one month in 2006 – the older west side had about 800 floods, the newer east side which had backwater valves had a handful

• Will the City keep increasing the Hazeldean Pumping Station size as they keep building more houses?

A: the pumping station is a very complex situation and was overloaded by abnormal amounts of flow from Stittsville which surcharged the station. We now understand the situation and when the fixes are done this situation should not happen again

• When will the May Public Meeting be held?

A: not yet determined
Action: Allan Hubley – post it on the GCCA website

• Why are they still building near the Carp River when Terry Fox Drive had 2 to 3 feet of water in some area and manhole covers were blown off?

A: the manhole covers are coming off because the system was surcharged. The problem is that the Carp River is not a good outlet. The City is looking at how water can get there or somewhere else – this will be discussed at the May Public Meeting

• The Carp River was doing its job but water was backing up in Carp Creek – the new culverts were acting as flow restrictors and water was almost going over the road – the Pond area needs to be looked at. Could land downstream towards Scotiabank Place be used to relieve the water?

A: There is not a proper outlet for all the water coming to the pond and water is backing up. To make it go downstream would require another study with modelling of the Carp River

• In the meantime could something be done further down by Scotiabank Place such as a temporary pond?

A: No. Glen Cairn needs an outlet to convey overland flow and needs to stop the surcharging. Solutions may be a bigger pond, lowering the pond, or a pumping station to pump the water up. The pond is now being included in the study (it wasn’t in September), and also the Hazeldean Pumping Station is now being included so that all parts are now in scope and being studied. The May Public Meeting will report on all of it and will have the answers as to what caused the flood with evidence to show us what the problems are. Different areas have different causes and solutions. The plan for solutions will be presented in another Public Meeting in September

• Will it be 2012 before shovels are in the ground to fix the problems?

A: The fixes will come later – $4 million is available for small fixes in 2010, $12 million in 2011, and $4 million in 2012. If additional money is required it will be made available.

• Are tired of hearing about band-aid solutions that we as homeowners have to do – we want the big solutions

A: this is why the City is examining all the causes. In 1996 and 2002 the Carp River was thought to be the problem. The 2009 flood was caused by a whole bunch of things that compounded – not just the heavy rain, or development downstream, or OMB overturning local decisions – all these things accumulated

• Can someone explain about builders selling their capacity?

A: [not given]
Other Matters:
Graffitti
Report to police if in progress
Report to the City if discovered later
If there is a hate message, report it to the special unit of Police Services
If graffiti is on mailboxes report it to the City and they will coordinate with Canada Post
The City is planning to reinstall the camera near the Glen Cairn Public School
Neighbourhood Watch Program
Glen Cairn has only 2 block programs
Volunteers are needed for Watch Coordinator and Block Captain positions, as well as members