County of Wetaskiwin councilors got a detailed account of how stormwater is currently moving through hamlets during their Public Works council meeting Oct. 22.
Director of Public Works Neil Powell introduced guests from engineering firm WSP, who noted the firm was to examine the overall effect of stormwater on hamlets. Powell stated the information is important when applying for Municipal Sustainability Initiative grants for hamlets.
In his memo to council Powell stated WSP’s scope of work included, “Reviewed all available data and information available for stormwater systems within each study site. This includes any previous reports on the stormwater systems, data on the stormwater system including culvert diameter and inverts, LiDAR data for each study area and areas draining through study sites.
“The County provided LiDAR data to WSP to identify all drainage basins upstream and those affecting the study areas. WSP met with public works staff and had them identify all known drainage issues at each site. WSP and County staff performed a circuit of the study sites to get an overview of the drainage system.
“As part of the circuit, WSP surveyed all existing culverts to determine size, elevation, slope, and general condition.”
WSP also gave a report on what they found in each hamlet.
Gwynne has a decent offsite flow, steep slopes and not as many issues as some other hamlets. The main recommendation is to fix up a few ditches.
Falun has very substantial offsite drainage and it’s important to ensure water can get off of property. A missing culvert was found.
The Village at Pigeon Lake was found to not have most water entering it, the boardwalk is prone to flooding and the car wash’s underground pipe is not adequate.
Mulhurst Bay doesn’t have large offsite catchment, it has lots of driveway culverts and some filled-in ditches. Some ditches have lost definition and some need to be deeper with culverts.
Winfield is on a hill, has lots of grade and a mixture of zones. One of the most significant cross-lot drainage issues occurs here; water is crossing an alley. There is a missing culvert and alley grading, ditching and culverts need improvement.
Buck Lake has significant offsite drainage areas, has poorly defined ditches which release onto private property. It’s quite flat, so it’s challenging to get water moving.
Alder Flats has a significant amount of offsite drainage; the hamlet is missing ditches or culverts in certain areas. Some areas are holding water; there is no ditch on the hillside by the community centre.
Councilors unanimously accepted the report for information.