The city says stormwater infrastructure withstood the heavy rains Edmonton experienced this year despite dozens of closures due to flooding. Epcor’s group vice-president Craig Bonneville said the city’s infrastructure did as it was intended to do. “It conveyed that water to the river or to our treatment facilities, which also performed quite well. In certain cases, it is expected that there be some ponding on roadways,” said Bonneville. “While it may seem like to a resident that something isn’t working, to a degree, it’s how it’s designed.” That being said, Bonneville said they will be looking at infrastructure in areas where basements were flooded and sewage was backed up as a result of the rainfall. “Not every area held up exactly the way we wanted to, but overall citywide, we saw a lot of resiliency in our system,” said Mayor Andrew Knack. The city is currently seven years into a 20-year $1.6-billion flood mitigation program which Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi Coun. Jon Morgan is hoping to expedite in a motion put forward Monday. “Obviously that comes with higher utility rates, so you have to weigh that against the risk of having another once in 200-year flooding event,” said Knack. Rate increases were already set to happen, regardless of the storms seen this summer, said Epcor, adding that the city’s Utility Committee will begin reviewing the rate application in November with opportunities for public engagement. The city will need to spend $10 million to $15 million on sinkhole repairs and fixing the culvert at Horseshoe Creek. The utility provider said the repairs will have no impact to ratepayers as the cost is being managed within its current capital spending plan. Plans to improve the culvert were in place before the summer, but heavy rain worsened the damage. Epcor said it paused work as the city wanted to upgrade roads. “I just don’t want to get into a scenario where we’re paying for the same thing twice and then putting the community through yet another sequence of major construction,” said Knack. Specifics on damage to infrastructure from the rain will be discussed further at city hall on Wednesday. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
