(Photo: Abby Zieverink / EverythingGP, staff)

By Abby Zieverink

education

City launches campaign to teach residents about the stormwater system

Feb 10, 2022 | 5:00 AM

The City of Grande Prairie has launched a campaign to help teach the community about the stormwater system.

The campaign includes a 2-5 minute survey titled “Did You Know?! All about the Stormwater System” as well as a Q & A section, a poll and information about the stormwater system.

Development Engineering and Stormwater Manager with the City of Grande Prairie Richard Sali says the main goal is to make residents aware of what the stormwater system does on a daily basis.

“What it is, what it does, where it is, where the water flows and the different parts of the system and how residents and the people of Grande Prairie can contribute or help to keep the waterways clear,” Sali said.

“We want to be able to give residents an idea that when a raindrop falls on their property somewhere or on their roof, how it goes from the roof down to the street, to the storm (water system) then out to the Wapiti Creek and all the different pieces in between.”

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With spring on its way, Sali says there is usually a lot of freeze & thaw cycles during this time of year. Currently, with the Swan City’s climate in a thaw period, Sali explains the ponding of water on the roads is completely normal.

“The ponding is usually contributed to the fact that there is a catch basin in the area that has been blocked or the gutter has been blocked and it’s harder for the water to get (through the drain),” he explained.

He tells EverythingGP residents can prepare for thaw periods or increased precipitation by doing a few different things, including grading their lot to help the stormwater system.

“If you have proper lock grading and you have your water coming from your downspouts over your grass then it takes more time for water to get to the storm system and it gives time for that water to get away and not pond onto the streets.”

“It also gives the opportunity for any of the contaminants that may be in that water to filter out along your grass, and it doesn’t make its way to the bear creek as quickly,” Sali added.

If a sewer starts to pond, Sali mentions residents can either chip around it to create a path for water to flow again, or if they are unsure how to handle it, they can call the City of Grande Prairie.

More information on the “Did You Know?! All about the Stormwater System” campaign can be found here.

Stormwater frequently asked questions can be found here.