August 10, 2023 produced an average of 60 mm of rain throughout the city over a period of 5 hours, with a peak recorded volume of 107 mm. At peak, 190mm/hour was falling. Due to the nature of the storm (high peak intensity and high volume), sanitary sewers, storm sewers and overland drainage systems were all affected.
In College Ward, several homes were flooded. This report looks at the reasons why and how flooding can be prevented in future.
Staff say that they are currently initiating a drainage study in the City View/Crestview area to control flow into the storm sewer system thereby minimizing the risk of sewer surcharge. This study should be completed by early summer. They are also undertaking computer simulations of the of the August 10th, 2023 event in the Meadowlands Area using sewer hydraulic models to determine if additional tweaks to the infrastructure can be done to further reduce the risk of flooding.
The transition to monitoring operations does not signal the end of the City’s recovery efforts. The ECC has established an integrated task force to maintain situational awareness and coordinate access to recovery programs and services. The task force will support consistent, accessible, and equitable personalized support for affected residents throughout the recovery period.
The City’s Election-Related Resources Policy (ERRP) and its procedures prohibit Members of Council who are seeking re-election in a municipal election from using City resources such as office budgets and staff for newsletters and general communications from August 27, 2026, up to and including October 26, 2026 (known as the “blackout period”). As a sitting Member of Council, I must adhere to the City’s ERRP, meaning that this website will not be updated during the blackout period. My office remains open to deal with day-to-day constituency matters.
I’m hearing from a lot of residents who want answers about why flooding happened, and how we can prevent it from happening again. I certainly want those answers as well.
There won’t be a simple fix. 25 neighbourhoods have been dramatically affected and each had their own particular contexts. The City needs to examine the different local factors that may have contributed to flooding.