In the spring an old man’s fancy turns to… unplugging street drains

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This article was published 10/04/2023 (893 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Although many Winnipeggers can’t wait to head to the lake, a good number of city residents aren’t interested in having waterfront properties.

It’s an issue in many neighbourhoods at this time every year when the snow melts, but the water has no place to go because of ice and debris blocking street drains.

So some homeowners spent time on the long weekend addressing the problem.

Rob, who didn’t want his last name used, said he spent about an hour chopping ice to clear one storm drain in the Wolseley area, and it wasn’t the only one he freed from winter’s grip.

“That’s what old men do, it’s the first step in recovery for cabin fever,” he quipped Monday as he prepared to do battle again, this time on the lake that has appeared on Palmerston Avenue in front of the Robert Steen Community Centre.

“I was pretty successful. I did the grate in front of my house… and then I went to the next one. I used Google maps to find it because it was submerged. It was a large lake there with the water curb to curb and at least three to four parking spots long. But, once the drain was open it was gratifying. I took about an hour.”

He took a break every once in a while to get out of the way of passing motorists.

“I had to back up when a vehicle went by. I was very aware of the dangers of working near water. But they go slow because they know there could be a pothole under the water.”

Rob said he is pleased to do it because he knows that when the water has a place to drain the snow disappears on the boulevards more quickly.

“It certainly speeds up the melting process and we already don’t want to see snow again for another six months.”

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of the civic public works committee, said the city always has crews on during weekends to deal with frozen catch basins.

But Lukes said during the long weekend “more than usual were deployed.”

Much like the city’s snow-clearing effort, crews go first to Priority 1 streets to open drains before moving to Priority 2 roads and then residential streets, the Waverley West councillor said.

“They do the levels in priority, but there’s not too much to do on Priority 1 streets, like Pembina Highway, so they to go P2 streets where buses and emergency vehicles go,” she said.

Lukes said residents are encouraged to call or email 311 if they spot a sewer that needs to be opened, but it will take a while before crews get to the spot.

“People forget we live in Manitoba and this is what our climate is all about — it is freeze and melt,” she said.

Lukes said it is OK for Winnipeggers to help chop open drains.

“Just be careful you don’t break the iron catch basin,” she said.

“Everything helps if there are little streams to flow.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca