Blocked catch basins are keeping the staff at Atlas Sanitary Services on their toes.
“We’ve been going nonstop,” said jet truck operator Darryl Harkes. “This year we’re really busy because it’s melting fast and it doesn’t give it a chance to melt it around the catch basin.”
Battling the ice, water and snow covered basins can take a lot of work.
“(We) find them under the water then steam them open,” explained Harkes. “Some of them are frozen right solid. There have been some that have been frozen right from the ground level down four feet.”
If the catch basins are not clear, it will lead to massive puddles on city streets. Just ask Michelle Jones.
“It was pretty much the Grand Canal,” she said of the street in front of her east Regina apartment.
City crews were able to clear the area Monday afternoon, but the messy road had already caused many headaches for drivers.
“We were watching cars get submerged, their front ends getting submerged,” Jones explained. “There were about six cars this morning that got stuck.”
Many drivers were just caught right off guard.
“Unfortunately, my boyfriend was already parked in the back when all this happened,” Jones said. “He had to go through the water and now his car won’t start and it looks like because of a wet starter.”
Those are common spring calls to auto body shops. Once water gets into the car, it can make a mess both inside the cabin and under the hood.
“The puddle could be too deep and get all the electronics components of your car all wet and then cause your engine to stop running,” said Bobby Krznar, owner of LK Auto Collision.
It is not possible to avoid all puddles during the spring melt, but Krznar does suggest driving at walking speed through them because what’s under the water is really unknown.
“You don’t know if part of the pavement has actually sunk into the ground and how far it sunk,” Krznar explained.
Crews from the City of Regina have been out for several weeks clearing and thawing catch basins. To make their job a little easier, the city will release a map later this week to show home owners where their catch basins are located so everyone can help clear them of snow and ice.
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