Flood prevention tips

LETHBRIDGE- The city of Lethbridge is asking residents to be proactive when it comes to heavy rainfall.

June is a wet month in southern Alberta, and with rain in the forecast crews want residents to plan ahead.

Here are a few tips the city has suggested for protecting your home and property during the rainy season:

• Make sure all downspouts are down and extend at least 2 meters (6 feet) away from your foundation. This will allow rain water to drain onto your lawn rather than overwhelming your foundation drain.
• Ensure that grading around your house directs water away from the foundation.
• Keep eavestroughs and downspouts clear of leaves and other debris.
• If you have a sump pump or a backwater valve, check them and ensure they are in good working order.
• Avoid pouring fats and grease down sink drains.  This can clog pipes and cause back-ups in the sewer system.
• Help keep storm sewer grates on your street free of debris. This will allow water to drain in the event of heavy rain.
• Minimize household water usage during heavy rains. This will decrease the amount of water going into the sewer system and lessen the risk of back-ups.

The city also encourages residents to store valuables, photos and important documents somewhere other than the basement, and to find alternate locations for electronics.

If your basement does flood, the city says to check the electrical panel before plugging anything in.

During heavy rain, the city says catch basins can become blocked, and residents are encouraged to help clean out storm sewer grates if they are able to. New subdivisions may encounter orange and red silt control devices at catch basins that are loaded with silt and block the flow.

Residents living in subdivisions constructed after the mid-1990s will experience portions of roadways that flood during rainfall due to a design feature of the storm drainage system.

It is a result of the flow into the storm sewers being controlled so that too much water doesn’t overload the storm sewers. The city says the water will not flood residences. It is designed to only pool to a certain depth, then spill over along the roadway to prevent damage to properties.

If you need assistance from the city you can contact the Public Operations Emergency Response Line at 403-320-3850.