Years of work have finally come to fruition in the Municipality of Lakeshore, where councillors adopted a new plan to ensure a swift and efficient response to flooding caused by extreme rainfall and water runoff.
"The adoption of this plan is a significant step for Lakeshore's readiness to deal with the issue of flooding," said Mayor Tracey Bailey. "The flooding we experienced in 2021 is still fresh in the minds of many of the affected residents."
Hundreds of homes, mostly along Lake St. Clair, were unindated with water during the event two years ago.
The Flood Response Plan is part of a larger framework that gives residents, business owners, and town staff a detailed overview of how to respond to a flood.
It includes a flood alert system with a prescribed list of actions for each level. Staff responsibilities during a flood event are spelt out, including who the Flood Mitigation Office will coordinate the response. A communication plan defines how information is shared.
Since the town adopted the Flood Mitigation and Protection Framework in 2021, the council has made investments in new programs like subsidies for mini-cam inspections, sanitary backwater prevention, and sump pump overflow systems. It also smoke-tested more than 3,000 homes to address clean-out cap and cross-connection issues, launched a public awareness program and created a model of a sanitary system and maintenance plan for stormwater ponds.
Lakeshore has two public information meetings on its Stormwater Master Plan coming up. The first is Wednesday, June 14, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Libro Community Centre in Woodslee, while the second is Wednesday, June 28, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre in Belle River.
