The Times Advocate, 2006-03-15, Page 15"WI
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Crossroads
14
Exeter Times -Advocate
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Councillors happy with flood control pond
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
EXETER — A flood con-
trol project south of
Simcoe and Huron streets
held up well last week to
heavy rain and a quick
thaw.
South Huron councillors
George Robertson and
Pete Armstrong, who sit
on the municipality's
flood committee, both told
the Times -Advocate last
week they were pleased
with how the approxi-
mately $800,000 project
prevented flooding.
"It's doing its job,"
Robertson said.
The project involves a
large dry holding area
dug in a field south of
Simcoe Street to hold up
to 32,000 cubic metres of
water during heavy rain-
falls and thaws. The area
takes up five acres of land
and was designed to hold
water from a 260 -acre
watershed area and ben-
efit the southern portion
of Exeter.
Plans are still in the
works to work on the
flood problem east of
Pryde Boulevard, with
Armstrong saying the
municipality's engineer
has presented drawings
for the project and negoti-
South Huron councillors Pete Armstrong, left, and George Robertson stand in front of the municipality's flood control pond south of
Huron Street which was about one quarter full of water Friday afternoon after heavy rains and a quick snow thaw. Both Robertson and
Armstrong were happy with how the pond collected water and prevented flooding in town.The flood project, done last fall, cost about
$800,000 and was paid for by the Exeter Community Development Fund (the money from Exeter's hydro sale).Armstrong said negotia-
tions with landowners for a flood control project to the east of town will start within the next few weeks. (photos/Scott Nixon)
ations with landowners
will be held over the next
three weeks.
Last Friday afternoon,
the large holding tank
was about one quarter
full, with water flowing
into it quickly from a field
east of it. Water from the
tank drains through a 16 -
inch pipeline underneath
a berm, into a creek and
then into the Anne Street
drain. While in the past
corn stalks have been a
problem during heavy
rainstorms because
they've blocked drains,
the new holding tank will
filter them out.
As Robertson and
Armstrong explained, the
tank holds back the water
so surface water in the
rest of the town can run
off.
"This is exactly what it's
supposed to do,"
Armstrong said, noting
that if it wasn't for the
Above, South Huron councillors George Robertson, left, and Pete Armstrong watch as water from the
McBride field flows into the flood management pond south of Huron Street. Below, the ditch emptying into
the Anne Street drain was kept at manageable levels because of the water retention pond.
tank, all the water would
be in people's backyards.
The ditch at Anne
Street, which would nor-
mally be overflowing or
close to overflowing dur-
ing a heavy rainstorm or
quick thaw, was at
acceptable levels last
Friday, with the outlet
pipe only about a third
full. While some yards in
town did have a lot of
water on them, it wasn't
water that came into
town from Usborne; that
water was surface water
from the affected proper-
ties, Armstrong and
Robertson said.
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