Spring Flooding Issues

photo courtesy of the Rocky View Weekly

At our council meeting Monday night, we had the first of what I hope will be many residents coming to council as a delegation to discuss the water drainage problems in the village.

This resident's problem stemmed from the fact that all of the run-off water from County land north of Beiseker flows into the village!  We have had to deal with this problem for a few years now, but this year it was worse than before.

I think we made a good plan to keep this water off this resident's property, but we need an overall solution to the problem. 

I'm hoping that our council and the Rocky View County council will be able to get together and get a plan to help solve this problem permanently.

I said at the beginning of this post this was the first of what I hope will be many delegations to council about this issue.  If you had (or are having) issues with run-off water on your property, please call the Village Office (403-947-3774) and attend the next council meeting as a delegation.  We need your input and suggestions.

Most of this year's run-off water left town in an orderly fashion but some didn't!  We need to address all those incidents!

Politics and the Weather!

I was saddened by Premier Alison Redford's resignation, the other evening. 

Our province is indeed the best in Canada when measured on many different scales.  We do not need all this drama of political wheeling, dealing and backbiting by the governing party!

Collectively, they're acting like a bunch of kids in a school playground, pushing and shoving each other in order to accomplish some sort of lofty goal!  If  this was a school, their principal would be organizing an anti-bullying program for them!

The Premier made some critical errors with her spending of tax dollars in travel expenses.  Other Alberta premiers have faced much worse!  But it is obvious that Redford did not think she had the support of her cabinet and caucus to correct the mistakes, and fight back against the pressures from the media and Opposition. 

She had little choice than to resign.  Her party basically threw her under the bus.

I believe that Premier Redford did give her heart and soul to this province over the past two and a half years, and for that I dearly thank her.

To the governing Alberta Progressive Conservatives;  Get back to running this province!  Throw the poll results into the trash, and start carrying out what you and your now-former Premier set out to do, when you were given a mandate in 2012!

And to the Wildrose Party; Throw the poll results into the trash and let's get back to your job - of being Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition!

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We got another winter blast Thursday which halted our melt in its tracks.  It also froze a lot of that meltwater!  Highways and streets may not get better for a day or two so be careful out there! 

The melt has been going very well.  Water is leaving town in an orderly manner!  I see a couple of issues around town, which I've mentioned to the Village Office.  I hope you are doing the same. 

Public Works is also searching for a water leak this next couple of days.  I wish them success in their search and thank them for their dedication and hard work.

The Spring Meltdown!

Well it looks like the big Spring meltdown has started in Beiseker.  In order to get through this, we must all work together. 

Below is a short list of some of what Beiseker Public Works has done so far to prepare for the run-off. They've done all they can and I commend them for that.  Well done, crew!

• As much snow and ice as possible has been hauled to snow dumps to harmlessly melt away.
• Most surface ditches have been opened up to prevent ice dams.
• The sub-surface storm water lines have been steamed where possible.  To get the required slope on these pipes they have to start rather shallow in the ground.  This means they freeze up as the frost goes down.  They have to be thawed using hot water and steam.  We have a small steamer unit for this job. This thawing process will continue throughout the next few weeks.  If required a larger steamer unit will be brought in to speed up the process.
• The large ditches on the south side of town have been opened up.  A contractor with a tracked hoe will be at the ready to reopen these channels if they become clogged.

Here's some things that Beiseker residents can do, to prepare for the runoff:

• Get your down spouts thawed out and water moving in them, as soon as possible.  Make sure your down spouts are draining as far away from the building as possible.
• Dig small channels away from your home toward the street or lane.
• As patches of lawn appear, cover them with snow piled up from clearing your walkways.
• If you do get run-off water in your basement, try to pump it back outside and not into the sanitary sewer line.  Excess run-off water in our sanitary sewer line puts undue stress on that system.
• If melt water is pooling on walkways, get some sand on there as soon as you can.  Kitty litter works well, too - and sand is still available down at the Public Works compound.
• Sand and sandbags will become available at the Public Works compound if we need them.  We'll let you know when and if that happens.
• If an ice dam has built up in front of your home, try to get the water moving toward the catch basin.
• If you spot a problem, contact the Village Office (403-947-3774) as soon as you can.  Remember, our Public Works team will be very busy this next few weeks, and it may take a while to respond to your concern.

I'm hoping for a gradual, slow melt so the water can make its way out of town easily.  I'm also praying that the big rains hold off until all the snow is melted and all the crops are in!

Happy Spring!

The Storm Drain Issues

There was a question at coffee time after our Town Hall meeting about storm water (and spring melt water) drainage from the village.  I gave only a short answer at the time, without a lot of details.  I'll attempt to fill in more of those details, here.

The older part of town, between the CN Rail line and the abandoned CP Rail line, is almost completely flat.  Water drainage from this area is very difficult. Over the last 60 years, successive village governments have been gradually adding storm drains and ditches to facilitate storm water and runoff leaving town, as budgets and provincial grants have permitted.  It started with the construction of a drainage ditch around the southern part of the village which empties into a natural watercourse to the east. That ditch was constructed about 60 years ago.

Two storm drain systems were added over the past 20 years. One is located on the south side of Ninth Street, while the other is located under Fifth Street. Both empty into a drainage channel along the west side of the CN tracks, which flows into that original ditch. To create a slope, allowing water to run downhill, has meant burying these drainage pipes deep in the ground.

At the junction of fifth Street and fourth Avenue there is actually a well from which the water must be pumped into the adjacent ditch. The Ninth Street Drainage pipes (there are two in parallel) still depend on gravity!

Slow-moving water along  Second and Third Avenues is causing problems along those roadways. Sidewalks and roadways are deteriorating, and standing water poses an ongoing problem.

The village plans to address this problem by eventually constructing underground drainage channels and above ground ditches to move water towards Ninth Street, or Fifth Street.  But these projects will be expensive, and the village will need assistance from the province to complete them.

In the meantime Beiseker Public Works will continue to keep surface water moving down those avenues as much as possible. 

The Meltdown Has Begun!

photo courtesy Covy Moore, Rocky View Publishing

The warm weather of the last few days have started the meltdown we've all been waiting for. There's a lot of snow out there, which means they'll be a lot of meltwater to deal with.

The older part of our village is almost completely flat. Water has trouble exiting the village, especially between the CN tracks and the old CP line.

By my count, we have about eight problem areas throughout the village. Public Works will spend as much time as needed getting the water out of town!

Through the years the village has improved its drainage and storm water pumping systems. Once all the channels, culverts, ditches, and canals are thawed out and free-flowing our spring melt should continue with little inconvenience.

If you are one of those with a small lake in front of your house or in your lane, be patient, Public Works will get to it as soon as they can.