After a summer of heavy rain exposed weak spots in Niagara-on-the-Lake’s drainage system, councillors are backing a $425,000 push to find problems sooner and tackle them before they turn into flooding.
The budget amendment supported by council members Tuesday would fund detailed drainage mapping, long-term maintenance planning and new equipment to clear overgrown ditches and municipal drains.
The decision still needs formal council approval on Sept. 22.
The largest piece is $250,000 for a new mid-mount boom mower that will be installed on an existing municipally owned John Deere tractor.
Another $75,000 would survey sediment buildup in the town’s 15 stormwater ponds, while $50,000 would pay for detailed elevation mapping and imagery and $50,000 would develop a 10-year maintenance plan for NOTL’s 67 municipal drains.
The money would come from the town’s stormwater management reserve, which is projected to sit at about $1.87 million at year-end. Staff estimate about $1.45 million would remain after the work, with no additional pressure on the operating budget or planned capital projects.
Jordan Frost, the town’s director of public works and infrastructure, said the July and August rainfall events highlighted the need to move away from the town’s largely reactive approach to drainage maintenance.
The new mower would also replace the town’s troublesome “Green Machine,” a tractor Frost said has suffered repeated breakdowns and required frequent repairs.
Staff expect the replacement arm could be in place within six to eight weeks.
Credit: PAIGE SEBURN
Jordan Frost, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s director of public works and infrastructure, says the town’s $425,000 drainage plan aims to catch problems earlier and move away from what he described as reactive behaviour.In the meantime, chief administrative officer Nick Ruller said crews have put tires back on the existing tractor and are keeping its old arm running.
“So we’ll nurse along the existing equipment, we’ll procure the correct equipment and get that installed, so that we’re ready to go for the new year with a new arm outfit,” Ruller said.
The mower is also expected to help crews clear phragmites and other vegetation from ditches, with higher-risk flooding areas to be tackled first.
“So it will be a ‘try to get to everything as fast as we can,’” Frost said.
In a separate drainage decision the same night, councillors backed appointing K. Smart Associates Limited to prepare a new engineering report on the Szockyj Municipal Drain.
Staff found the 2005 engineering report does not account for runoff coming from lands west of Concession 4 Road, despite water from those areas entering the drain.
The new review will examine capacity, possible improvements and roughly 30 parcels, along with several town roads, that are missing from existing assessment schedules.
Resident Michael Watson, who has pushed for action on the drain, called the decision “another positive step in enabling a comprehensive solution for the future.”
“I attribute the speed of the last 11 months to the strong leadership this council has put in place. Senior staff listened to my concerns, they acted on them.”
