Wednesday 1 August 2012

When It Rains, It Pours... And Floods

While all Hamiltoanians have experienced the recent storm events in some capacity, certain neighborhoods are really feeling the impacts. 

One area in particular is Greenhill Avenue just west of Quigley Rd, which we came across on July 27th while searching for outfalls in the area. It was clear that not only a major storm event had taken place, but extensive flooding had occurred as well. Check out the picture below. Can you see the mud on the road and on the curb? This led us to believe that the creek rose to the point where it flowed over the culvert and across the street - which is very high! 

We later spoke to residents within the area who confirmed the flooding. According to them, the  heavy rain events on July 22nd caused boulders within the creek to be washed downstream -- which resulted in extensive area flooding, uprooting of trees which bordered the creek bed, and high volumes of mud. Needless to say the city had a large cleanup job on their hands! 

In addition to the roadway being a clear indicator of high water levels, the creek bank itself was also very telling. Check out the picture below, which was taken at a stretch of Davis Creek just north of Mud Rd. Notice how the lower shrubbery is all folded over in the direction of the current? This shows us how high the water level rose in the Valley Park area and how powerful the current was. 



1 comment:

  1. According to the Hamilton Spectator:

    "More than 160 residents complained to the city about flooding in the July 22 storm, most of which was a result of overland flooding. At least 15 have filed claims with the city" (August 3, 2012).

    ReplyDelete