City of Powell River staff is continuing to investigate the causes of water problems experienced by Willow Avenue home owners.
Council and staff discussed the issue at a January committee-of-the-whole meeting. Merrilee Prior, who lives on Willow, wrote a letter to council about the issue, which she indicated could be solved by constructing a French drain along the east side of Lombardy Avenue. The drain would be more effective than anything property owners could do on their own, Prior wrote. Judy Watts, chair of the Townsite Ratepayers’ Association, attended the committee meeting and delivered the letter.
According to a staff report, there is a functioning storm sewer main located on Willow that provides drainage of the road and services to homes. The report noted that of the 14 properties experiencing wet conditions, 11 had storm sewer connections that were not functioning properly and four did not have a storm connection at all, although one of the four is connected through a neighbouring service.
Staff had a number of recommendations for property owners, including refurbishing and cleaning existing perimeter drains and installing properly designed interceptor drains along the back of the properties.
After discussing the issue, councillors directed staff to strategize an action plan with the residents and report back to them with recommendations.
