We have a big ice jam in front of our house. Our friends, in previous years, came over to visit Hook Lake. We fear what damage that lake could do, but fortunately our house is at a higher elevation. Did you know that Haysboro was originally a swamp?
I think there is one drain per two streets and the path is not downhill. This year, the snow came before all the leaves were off the trees so if someone is not kind enough to clean the drain out, then the path and the drain will be full of mushy leaves.
Melting snow and making little rivers along the edge of the curb was a spring afternoon – hours whiled away crushing ice and building dams and changing the course of the water. But adulting is more about the five inches of ice and the lakes that will be created.
In the 10 years that we have been here, our basement has seen an excess of water three times and sewage one time. The first was from a downspout running right into a basement window, the second a crack in the foundation, the third a plugged humidifier on the furnace. Then the lovely back up of some wastewater from the kitchen.
So here is my advice as we move towards spring:
1. Make sure your downspouts are down and in the right position and not clogged.
2. Know where the drains are on your street, as that is where you hope the water will go!
3. Be a good neighbour and keep the path in front of your house clear of debris.
4. Take debris off of street drains. If you can’t do it, call 311 and ask the City to clean it out.
5. The City has a program that can come and check out the line from the house to the street/back alley.
6. And lastly – make sure your insurance covers water damage!
Looking forward to the ice flow!
