'It saved us': Saskatoon 'dry' pond system passes heavy rainfall test
Saskatoon's recent rainstorm gave the W.W. Ashley Park dry storm pond system a chance to prove itself.
During the June 20 rainfall event, the pond prevented "water damage to approximately 37 neighbourhood homes that typically experience flooding during intense rainfall,” according to a city news release.
Wade Petrishen has resided in the area for over 35 years and has experienced several floods.
“It was very relieving, we’ve got neighbours here I swear when it rains they look outside their window and they’ve got PTSD,” he said.
Approximately 65 millimetres of rain fell in the Haultain neighbourhood during the afternoon.
Petrishen's home has flooded a couple of times before. According to the city, the June 20 storm was comparable to 2017 which caused Petrishen’s home more than $35,000 in damages.
“It was bad because both of my sons were living there at the time and their bedrooms are in the basement and they were displaced,” he said.
The pond was completed last fall and was designed to handle a one-in-10-year rain event.
The "dry" ponds hold water that could result in flooding during intense rainfall.
The water arrives in the pond via the neighbourhood's storm drain system and slowly drains into the storm sewer. The pond otherwise serves as park space.
“It’s worth celebrating for the city to be able to do that. I think lots of people have said good on the city for that,” Petrishen said.
But while Haulatin residents enjoy the new infrastructure, Ward 7 Coun. Mairin Loewen said it's bittersweet for people living in parts of the city waiting for a pond.
“To see progress being made but the relief is still a couple years away is very stressful and painful," Loewen said during Monday's city council meeting.
Another storm pond will be completed in Churchill Park this year and Weaver Park next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Early results from London, U.K., suggest Labour's Sadiq Khan will secure a record third term as mayor
Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party's mayor of London, appeared Saturday to be romping to victory as results from the capital pour in.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.