City of Williams Lake crews will be busy for the next couple of days with clean up and repairs following the rapid accumulation of precipitation from last night’s storm.
Due to the rapid water load, some overflowing manholes caused water to back up onto the City streets, causing traffic to slow. Pat Mahood, Manager of Public Works, said the City’s storm water collection system is designed to carry storm flows in underground piping and in open ditch.
“Older areas of the City have smaller storm mains than newer areas as the design criteria has changed over the years, as has the frequency of high-intensity, short-duration events,” Mahood said. “This change in intensity and the landscape of a City built on hillsides can lead to a surcharging of the underground storm system, which results in lifted manhole covers to relieve the pressure.”
Mahood noted the surcharged manholes are typically located at the bottom of hills and lower areas in the City’s collection system and are not welded or bolted down to allow for relief of flows to the street curb and gutters.
The City responds to high-intensity, short-duration events in known areas during these events and checks the areas once the system can resume underground flow.
The City has a 24-hour emergency line that can be reached at 250-392-5255 to report any concerns during these events.
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Media contact:
Pat Mahood, Manager of Public Works
pmahood@williamslake.ca
Direct: 250.392.1785
City Hall: 250.392.2311