It was an all-hands-on-deck approach to the heavy rain that hit Regina last Friday.
City of Regina officials say it required everything from emergency crews saving residents who were caught under flooding underpasses, to ensuring pump stations were functioning properly.
Kurtis Doney, director of water, waste and environment with the city, said on Wednesday they are investigating ways to reduce the amount of storm water that gathers under the Albert Street and Broad Street overpasses.
“There is a lot of infrastructure in the area and not a lot of land available to store that storm water. However we are looking at options and ensuring the upgrades are integrated with any other upgrades in that area,” explained Doney.
50 to 70 millimetres of rain was recorded on June 11 in Regina between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
Doney added that diluted wastewater was discharged to the storm channel at Wascana Creek during the heavy rainfall.
He mentioned how the decision was a last resort to reduce sewer backups into residents homes and ensure protection of city assets. Doney said test results so far have shown that the impact on the environment is expected to be very minimal.
“The amount of wastewater that was bypassed was significantly diluted because of the storm water in there,” said Doney. “We have quantified that approximately five megalitres passed, which is about one to two per cent of the overall wastewater flow.”
Doney added that the city is allowed to discharge wastewater if absolutely necessary and that funding is being invested to reduce that risk in the future. The Water Security Agency was notified of the decision.
