City Will Review Stormwater System

An east Saint John councillor has asked for an overview of how the city manages its stormwater system.

Ray Strowbridge says several homes and businesses in the Glen Falls and Golden Grove Road area were damaged in late January after heavy rain caused localized flooding.

Speaking at Monday’s council meeting, Strowbridge said the local stormwater systems and holding pond were frozen, preventing the water from escaping.

Strowbridge said the system was shown to be operating properly when it was last examined a few years ago. But concerns have been raised about the condition of the Golden Grove Road holding pond and whether it is big enough to hold these amounts of water, he said.

“It’s well over 20 years old. To the best of my knowledge, it’s never been re-dredged or dug out, so naturally, it will fill back in,” said Strowbridge.

“I’d like to call for something to look over it all and maybe some new recommendations and some changes.”

Review Could Be Costly

Strowbridge asked the city manager for a detailed report on the area’s entire stormwater infrastructure, including if there is a need for a second holding pond and if Marsh Creek can still accommodate the stormwater exit capacity to the Bay of Fundy.

But city manager John Collin raised concerns about the wording of the councillor’s referral motion.

“This would require an in-depth engineering analysis to answer the questions properly and then we are talking about a rather significant expense,” he said.

Collin suggested staff come back with an overview of the city’s current stormwater management to allow discussion on any possible improvements.

Strowbridge agreed and the motion was approved by council.