DRYDEN – At the last regular council meeting before the municipal election, Dean Walker of the Public Works Department submitted a proposal to council members regarding the creation of a rebate program to offer financial assistance for homeowners to install sump pumps, back-flow prevention valves, and disconnection of weeping tile from sewer laterals.
Recently, the spring flood overwhelmed the City of Dryden’s sanitary sewer system, leaving some residents in low-lying areas with basement flooding. However, with no assistance program in place, these residents felt the burden of clean-up costs, the cost of property damage repair, and higher insurance rates.
Walker said three areas of the city are mainly affected by storm sewer back-up, and through the number of residents that were asking Public Works for assistance, around 10 to 20 homes might make use of a rebate program.
Cities like Thunder Bay offer their residents a rebate for drainage improvement programs, Walker noted.
He recommended council consider implementing a rebate program that “would educate residents on storm events and prevention measures."
“Additionally, the program would aid residents that want to install a backflow prevention valve or a sump pump,” explained Walker. “It would also provide funding assistance to remove weeping tile and roof drains from their sanitary lateral.”
According to Walker, the three areas of funding would cover 50 per cent of the cost up to a select amount depending on which rebate residents would choose. For example, the Sump Pump rebate would cover up to a maximum of $1,500, the Backflow protection devices rebate would be up to a maximum of $1,750, and Weeping Tile – Roof Drain rebate would be up to a maximum of $500. The maximum allotment for each rebate program would include all labour, materials, permit fees, and taxes.
Also, Walker states that residents would have to meet certain criteria to take advantage of the rebate program. Some of the criteria include being connected to the city’s wastewater collection system, applicants must be property owners, a licensed plumber must be used to install a sanitary backflow prevention valve, and residents’ water accounts must be in good standing.
Walker proposes that funding will be determined during the city’s annual budget approval with a fixed sum and once the funding is exhausted, the program will not receive a top-up until the next fiscal year.
During the question period, Councillor Shayne MacKinnon expressed that the city already has a water management plan, and an asset management plan. Also, he acknowledges that some of the storm and sanitary sewers are scheduled for replacement. He asked Walker if those replacements will mitigate some of the flooding problems in residents’ homes.
Walker said yes sewer replacements would improve some of the problems but not all.
“It wouldn’t stop it. It wouldn’t mitigate the whole thing,” said Walker. “There are always heavy rain events, there could be issues blockages to sewers from tree roots that grow anytime. There could be some improvements made, but there would be no guarantee that it would stop.”
From a city preceptive, Manager of Community Services Steven Belanger commented, “from the eavestroughs and storm systems that are tied to ours [systems], it would elevate some of the pressure on our system as well. So, from a city preceptive, I think it covers those areas, and then from a residential preceptive, it just provides another protection measure for their property.
In the end, city councillors motioned to push the rebate programs forward.
