Days of heavy rain has the City of Edmonton and surrounding communities contending with overland flooding, washed-out roads and wastewater systems pushed past their limits.
As the deluge continued Monday, Edmonton residents are being asked to restrict non-essential water use and ensure their property drainage systems are working properly to guard against flooding.
The advisory for Edmonton is among a string of municipal warnings and travel alerts issued across central Alberta Sunday as heavy rain threatened roads, businesses and homes.
Edmonton and the surrounding areas received between 50 and 100 millimetres of heavy rainfall over the weekend, washing out roads and overflowing sewers and stormwater ponds across the city.
The emergency advisory alert issued Sunday evening for Edmonton cautioned that heavy rainfall over the weekend has pushed the region’s stormwater system to capacity, with localized flooding and backups being reported in neighbouring communities.
If the stormwater system continues to operate over capacity, flooding and sewer backups will continue to increase, city officials warned.
Residents of Edmonton are advised to take immediate steps to avoid unnecessary indoor water use including limiting showers and baths, delaying laundry and dishwasher use and ensuring sump pumps and downspouts are functioning properly to direct water away from homes.
Many people in the Edmonton region kept time overnight to the gurgle of sump pumps and the hum of shop vacuums.
In a news release Sunday, officials with Epcor — the municipally owned utility company responsible for managing Edmonton’s water systems — said it had received more than 600 calls for service on Sunday about concerns such as water pooling and flooding.
“We have crews working across the city, and they could use Edmontonians’ help. We are asking customers to immediately take steps to reduce their water use,” officials with EPCOR said.
“What seem like small steps or inconveniences can be the difference in helping neighbours avoid flooding and sewer backups.”
Officials with the cities of Beaumont and St. Albert are also urging its residents to reduce all non-essential water use as the city faces heavy rainfall from the last 24 hours.
A similar alert remains in effect for the entire hamlet of Wabamun within Parkland County due to sewer backups affecting individual homes and businesses.
“These steps help reduce the load on the wastewater system,” the City of Beaumont said on its website.
“If the wastewater system continues to operate over capacity, flooding and sewer backups will continue to increase,” the advisories read.
Residents across the region spent the night bailing water out of basements and window wells, tending to their downspouts and attempting to divert the deluge of rain away from their properties with pumps and buckets.
Taralyn Bieganek and her husband Edward stayed up all night, dealing with flooding in the basement suite of their north Edmonton home. Bieganek said their tenant called around 11 a.m. Sunday to let them know water was trickling into his dining room and kitchen.
Bieganek said she and her husband took shifts, taking turns running their shop vacuum and mopping up the mess.
“We took shifts and we stayed up and every 45 minutes went down and vacuumed up more,” she said in an interview Monday.
Bieganek said they have a sump pump installed in their basement but it wasn’t enough. Their tenant and his cat are staying with friends until the flooding subsides. Bieganek hopes the rain stops soon so her family can get any necessary repairs in hand before their vacation this week.
“I think with all our work overnight, we might have saved it from most of the damage,” she said.
“Luckily, it hadn’t spread too far.”
Overland flooding alerts also remain in effect for Stony Plain, a town west of Edmonton, due to sewer backups, as well as in Lac Ste. Anne County, about 75 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, due to extensive flooding and washouts on several roads.
A similar alert has also been issued for Beaver County, about 115 kilometres east of Edmonton, due to extensive flooding and road closures which have put the region’s emergency capacity under threat.
“Heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has pushed the Town’s wastewater system over capacity,” the alert reads.
“Municipal emergency services are at risk of flooding and becoming inoperable. No evacuation is necessary at this time.”
According to a weather summary issued by Environment Canada Monday, an intense weather system is to blame for the heavy rains that has put municipal infrastructure to limit across central and northern Alberta.
According to preliminary data from Environment Canada, as of 4 a.m. Monday, some of the highest total rainfall amounts recorded during the weekend storm ranged from 95 millimetres in the city of Edmonton to 123 millimetres in Stony Plain, about 40 kilometres west of Edmonton.
The highest total recorded in the region was in Elk Island National Park, east of Edmonton, where 133 millimetres fell over the weekend.
More rain is forecast for Monday before it finally tapers off. Environment Canada officials say lighter rain will continue throughout Monday before the intense rain storm system weakens and pulls away from Alberta.
In Edmonton, the rain is expected to continue throughout the morning with a risk of thunderstorms this afternoon. The Tuesday forecast calls for clear, sunny skies.
