Flood Control Efforts Underway
03 December 2007
City crews have been working since Saturday morning responding to heavy snow and rainfall. Over the weekend, City staff worked around the clock sanding and salting the roads and clearing snow from major roadways. At the height of the storm all nine of Richmond’s trucks were on the roads.
“On Sunday night as the weather changed from snow to rain, our crews switched their efforts from snow removal to flood control,” explains Dave Semple, Director of Public Works. “Crews worked on opening up the gutters to allow the water to drain into the storm sewers.”
At present, Richmond is experiencing an extremely rapid rate of snow melt combined with heavy rains. This has put a strain on the City’s sewerage and drainage systems as they are now operating at maximum capacity.
“We expect this condition to continue until later this afternoon when the water resulting from the snow melt has been pumped through our system,” explains Semple. “ Until then, we are doing everything we can to minimize flooding. To help prevent flooding at your property please ensure all your drains are kept clear so the snow melt can enter our system.”
City staff have received calls regarding backed up sewers and are working with Metro Vancouver to respond to the calls.
Sand bags are available at the Works Yard, which is located at 5599 Lynas Lane.
For more information please visit Flood Protection in Richmond.
