Building an ark might be going too far, but the City of Humboldt is asking residents to help prepare for possible spring flooding, even while it continues with its own preparations.
Due to high ground water levels at freeze-up and the large amount of snow on the ground already, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA) is predicting massive flooding in this area once the weather warms up once and for all in the spring.
"The city is looking - the same as the SWA - for a lot of water to move in the spring," said Joe Doxey, director of planning and engineering with the City of Humboldt. "The snow load isn't a lot, but it's on top of a high water table."
However, the city is on top of things, Doxey believes.
"I think (the city) is in as good a spot as we can be," he said, adding that he believes they will be in a good position to handle things that come their way, within reason.
That's because the City of Humboldt is preparing for the spring even as temperatures still hover around the -30C mark. Doxey has projects lined up to help protect the city when spring break-up occurs.
First up is a major project on the city's east side. They've been upgrading the force main - or the sewage pipe that carries waste water to the lagoon - along 6th Ave.
This project, which will cost about $500,000 when it's all done - will upgrade the pipe from six inches to 10 in diameter, which should help move water to the lagoon.
"A good chunk of the city goes through there on its way to the lagoon," Doxey said.
The city is also going to be cleaning the lifts at the sewer stations "to make them function as efficiently as possible," Doxey said. This is a cost of between $5,000 and $6,000 per lift, and there are six in the City of Humboldt.
This is not just due to the flooding expected in the spring, Doxey indicated.
"This is maintenance work that is needed," he said.
Some work was also done to one of the pumps at Sewer Lift Station 1.
They are also looking at installing an early warning system for Lift Station 2, which is located in the 9th Ave. and 14th St. area.
The issue with that lift station has been that if too much runoff water gets into the sanitary sewer system, Lift 2, which is a gravity fed system, can't handle the flow. That's what the city believes happened last year, when the pump was unable to handle the influx from a sudden spring rainfall, and it resulted in sewer back-ups in homes in the area.
Doxey is hoping to install an early warning system that will give the city a heads-up if too much water is flowing in that area, so they can get an extra pump out there and prevent a sewer back-up.
An engineering report on Humboldt's sanitary and storm sewer systems - which was ordered last year after a spring and summer of basement flooding and sewer back-ups in the city - is about 85 per cent complete, Doxey added. The final report should be complete by summer.
Outside the sewer lift stations, the city is going to be cleaning out an existing drainage ditch from Mile Lake to Stoney Lake before the spring melt.
"It's six kilometres of ditch cleaning," Doxey said.
Cattails have grown in that ditch over the years, catching debris and sediment from water moving through it.
"What happens... is the ditch fills with dirt and (the water) doesn't flow," he said. "So we'll clean it out and make it flow."
Within the next week, the city also plans to begin cleaning snow out of back alleys. This is something they do every year, Doxey said, when the weather begins to warm up occasionally, so if there is a sudden thaw, there won't be as much water trying to get into the storm systems.
Once we get into March and April, the city will also start cleaning catch basins or storm sewer drains, as they are commonly known.
Some of the shallow ones can freeze up and cause some localized surface flooding, Doxey said. So the city will come around and open them up with some hot steam.
With these efforts, hopefully basements in the city will be safe from flooding this year. But residents can also help protect their own property this spring.
First, they can shovel snow away from the house, Doxey said.
Second, they can remove any debris from the back alleys that has built up in the last year - compost piles or lawn clippings. You want to keep anything that could potentially clog a storm sewer out of the flow path, Doxey said. That also goes for yards in general - keep your yard free of loose debris that could be carried into a storm drain in the future.
Third, residents are asked to ensure eavestroughs are clear, and that downspouts will carry water as far away from the house as possible.
Fourth, check your sump pump - make sure it is working, or ready to go.
If your sump pump is connected to the sanitary sewer system, instead of just directing the water outside your home, correcting it could keep your neighbours from experiencing a sewer back-up.
"If you can fix it, that would certainly help," Doxey said.
The installation of back-flow valves in floor drains in the basement can also help prevent a sewer back-up, as can caps and plugs for floor drains.
Even standing a temporary pipe on your floor drain can help contain waste in the event of a sewer back-up, Doxey suggested. It may seep a little, but some seepage is better, he feels, than three inches of sewage in your basement.
Doxey also suggested homeowners get remote detectors which will set off an alarm if they get wet. They can be installed in drains and sump holes and are relatively inexpensive.
Studies on the flooding experienced by the City of Regina last year found that 40 per cent of the yards in flooded areas actually slope towards the foundation of the house. Doxey suggested that if this is the case with your home, a summer project could be to simply slope it away from the house by building up some topsoil. A little soil and grass seed could help protect your home from runoff in the future.
