Heavy rainfall in the Battlefords overnight. (battlefordsNOW staff/Josh Ryan)

By Keaton Brown

A Wet One

City reminds residents to be proactive towards flooding damage

Jul 8, 2020 | 1:00 PM

The Battlefords area saw some heavy rainfall last night that has resulted in some flooding.

The City of North Battleford is reminding residents of a few things they can do to help reduce the risk of basement flooding.

The city says to ensure that roof runoff goes into either your front or back yard and not your side yard or your neighbor’s side yard.

Dustin MacDonald, communications administrator for the city, said making sure downspouts on houses are properly situated can help alleviate some flooding issues.

“Extend downspouts at least two metres from the foundation with a drop of at least ten to twenty centimetres to the ground. That way the water falls into the saturated ground next to your home and is less likely to leak into the basement,” he said.

strong reputation

North Battleford wins gold in provincial volleyball championship

33m ago

POSTAL STRIKE IMPACT

Chamber reaction: Postal strike in rural Sask. sparks concerns for businesses and holiday shipping

1h ago

Semi Turn

Driver error leads to semi getting stuck on railway

1h ago

Make sure eaves troughs are clear of debris that may have been knocked loose during the heavy rainfall.

Slope soil around your foundation and window wells at least two metres away from your house with a drop of 10 to 20 centimetres.

If you have a sump pump, ensure it is working. Sump pumps collect water from around weeping tile and push it out through a discharge pipe. To check if it is working, pour a pail of water into the pit.

Ensure the water pumps out at least two metres from your house. Sump pumps will likely not operate during an electrical failure which could result in basement flooding.

They are also encouraging residents to limit indoor water use during a storm.

City crews will be working through the day to clean drain blockages that have resulted from debris knocked loose by the heavy rain has caused some intersections to fill with water.

MacDonald said drivers are asked to respect all barriers that are erected and to proceed through flooded areas with caution.

“We are asking drivers to respect barriers that have been erected and to avoid heavily flooded areas as much as possible. If they do have to drive through the water that they drive through it slowly because the wake can make the flooding conditions worse for the property owners adjacent to that water,” he said.

The rain is expected to continue throughout the day and into this evening.

—

Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow