THUNDER BAY -- Consulting engineers hired by the City of Thunder Bay will investigate options for reducing the risk of flooding in the Intercity area.
Staff of the KGS Group are gathering data as part of a process that will ultimately lead to a report outlining alternatives, and a meeting to obtain input from residents and other stakeholders.
The Intercity area has been affected by flooding at various points since development began early in the last century.
The Neebing-McIntyre Floodway, completed in 1984, was constructed to alleviate the problem, and the city says there have been subsequent infrastructure improvements including stormwater pumping stations more recently.
But in May 2012, a rainstorm of historic proportions overwhelmed the stormwater system, leading to the flooding of hundreds of Thunder Bay homes, including many in the Intercity area. Additional flooding occurred there in 2016.
A public notice about the environmental assessment process and consultation for the current project notes that climate projections for the Thunder Bay region "include an increase in extreme weather, temperature fluctuations, frequent high-intensity rainfall events."
The notice says the study will identify opportunities for additional improvements in the drainage systems in the Intercity area, and provide a roadmap for future design and capital expenditures.
The study boundaries include four "sub-watersheds" that influence drainage in the Intercity area, with the approximate limits being Red River Road in the north, the McIntyre River in the west, the floodway in the south, and easterly to the harbour.
The project is in its preliminary stages, where the consultants are gathering background data needed for modelling and design, so the company and the city are not prejudging the outcome.
In an interview with Tbnewswatch.com, KGS environmental assessment coordinator Tony Gallo said that based on that data "We're going to see where the issues are. Whether or not it could be something like increasing pipe sizes or increasing the size of ditches and things like that, I wouldn't hazard a guess on what it could be. I'll leave that up to the engineers."
Kayla Dixon, director of Engineering and Operations for the city, suggested "We could see a range, from stormwater storage in the area, to increased pipe size, possible additional outfalls to Lake Superior, improving our existing outfalls that go through Fort William Road and through the railyards out to Lake Superior."
Gallo said various alternatives for flood mitigation—and possibly a preferred option—will be presented at a public meeting that's not likely to be held until next year.
"It's a pretty big area and we want to make sure we've got what we need. We're not going to rush through it," he said.
A final report from the consultants is due in at city hall by March, 2018.
Dixon said depending on the scope of the work they recommend, some items could be budgeted for as early as 2019 but it's conceivable it will take several years to complete them all.
