Latest news with #stormwater
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Mahone Bay, N.S., shops struggle amid year-long construction project
Edgewater Street in Mahone Bay, N.S., is under construction as upgrades to its sewer and stormwater systems are underway. It's a project Mayor Suzanne Lohnes-Croft says has been in the works for years and it's the biggest one they have ever done in this area. 'We have funding for $10 million externally for this project that came in this year. Everything aligned, it's been a long time coming. It's necessary from an asset management point of view. We have very old infrastructure, we have to keep up with what the climate change needs are for our town,' says Lohnes-Croft. The project itself will take about a year to complete and is expected to cost between $13 and $14 million. It includes upgrades to the town's existing services and extends them to Kedy's Landing, near Exit 10. It will eliminate the existing straight pipes to protect the harbour. The plan will also revitalize public space and improve active transportation, accessibility and safety. The street has been torn up for several months and many businesses on the street say they are feeling the impact. 'I think it's safe to say that business is down 30 to 40 per cent because there just isn't the foot traffic that you would typically have. It's tourist town, tourist time, and there just aren't that many tourists,' says Jennifer Buchanan, director of sales and marketing for Buchanans House of Music. 'We happen to be in the chunk of the rerouted section, so we don't get the tour buses, the RVS.' The business is also concerned about the dust. They've been forced to bring in clothing that would normally be outside on display and they are constantly cleaning the musical instruments. 'It's dusty, there's like one word to describe it as you can feel it, it's in the air. It's frustrating, it's certainly not nearly as busy as it has been,' says Buchanan. Jo-Ann's Market normally has fresh fruit and vegetables outside on display for customers, but this year they have had to bring them inside. 'The dust has prevented us from utilizing the fresh fruit and vegetables because we can't put them out,' says Scott Myers, owner of Jo-Ann's Market. Jo-Ann's Market Jo-Ann's Market in Mahone Bay, N.S., is pictured. (Source: Emma Convey/CTV News Atlantic) During a normal tourist season, Myers said they make hundreds of thousands of dollars, but so far this season, it's down about 50 per cent. 'Loss of profit, loss of jobs. We have at least 30 per cent less staff than we normally would have. So that's local people working and staying in the town,' says Myers. 'The areas that they currently have closed off is where the bus tours would typically stop but the tours from what I understand have cancelled their stops there until the construction is over.' Lohnes-Croft says she has seen buses coming into town and it seems busy to her, whether it's local or tourist traffic. She emphasizes there are spaces for tour buses to drop off visitors and her team has reached out to the companies to suggest options. 'We would normally get tour buses constantly, they would park up by the three churches or by Rebecca's restaurant and they are the lifeblood of the tourists that come here. We have been told that they have all been for obvious reasons rerouted around so they will go straight to Lunenburg,' says Buchanan. Businesses like Buchanans House of Music feel compensation of some kind is necessary. Lohnes-Croft explains this is out of the municipality's control as it comes down to the province. 'That can only be done through our provincial government through compensation. Currently there is no compensation that the municipalities can do, that's why we are trying to help with signage and parking and trying to do little things to make things a little easier,' says Lohnes-Croft. The construction is expected to be completed by December. Mahone Bay construction Major construction is underway in Mahone Bay, N.S. (Source: Emma Convey/CTV News Atlantic) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ribbon-cutting ceremony held at Seymour Park to celebrate major improvements
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Officials with the City of Green Bay gathered on Thursday to host a ribbon-cutting at Seymour Park to celebrate the completion of several major improvements. The project's completion now features new playground equipment and a regional stormwater pond and swale system to address flooding concerns. Former Packer AJ Dillon, Dillon Family Foundation donates $25K to Boys & Girls Club of Door County Officials say that Seymour Park now includes, or will soon include, the Seymour Park Food Forest, a community garden, splash pad, and basketball court, adding that the improvements will enhance recreational opportunities for everyone in the neighborhood and surrounding area. Mayor Eric Genrich, Parks Director Dan Ditscheit, City Council President Brian Johnson, and representatives from the Seymour Park Neighborhood Association all delivered remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Brown County Jail's garden program shows significant growth in second year, donations to Paul's Pantry 'This is several years in the making, where we have teamed up closely with the Neighborhood Association, Public Works, and all the local politicians to develop a stormwater initiative to help deal with the flooding issues in the neighborhood,' said Green Bay Parks Recreation & Forestry Director Dan Ditscheit. 'We've done a lot of work on this park, and the stormwater is just a little bit of what you see.' Seymour Park is located at 330 South Oakland Avenue in Green Bay. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
EGLE: Oakland County violating environmental laws with sewage overflows
Oakland County's combined sewage and stormwater overflows are violating state environmental laws, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy found. And the county must take immediate action and faces potential fines and other costs. Oakland County's sewage overflows in significant rain events are a longstanding point of contention with its downstream neighbor, Macomb County, where officials say they bear the brunt of the environmental impact. Oakland County's George W. Kuhn Drainage District Dequindre Interceptor Overflow Structure, a retention basin, during times of heavy rain can discharge untreated or partially treated sewage into the Red Run Drain, a major stormwater canal in Oakland and Macomb counties that flows to the Clinton River and eventually to Lake St. Clair. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy on June 27 notified Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash that the county has "failed to correct the occurrence of sanitary sewer overflows" from its Dequindre Interceptor. EGLE, in its enforcement notice, cited two particular overflow incidents as violations: An April 3 event in which the Oakland County facility "discharged 1.18 million gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage." An Aug. 24, 2023, incident in which 2.2 million gallons of "untreated or partially treated sewage" were discharged. "The discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage from a sewer system onto land or into the waters of the state is a violation of Part 31" of the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, which aims to protect the quality of Michigan's surface and groundwater and regulates wastewater disposal, stated Laura Verona, supervisor of the Warren District Office of EGLE's Water Resources Division. The notice states that Oakland County was previously notified of the need to address the sewage overflows in violation notices issued on Sept. 21, 2023, and April 29, 2025. EGLE is calling on Oakland County "to immediately undertake all actions necessary to resolve all violations identified." Among EGLE's requests is that Oakland County review hydraulic models of its sewer system to identify areas of high inflow, model how operational changes would modify flow distributions, and provide a plan to evaluate interactions between the Great Lakes Water Authority system and the Kuhn facility "to identify opportunities for improvement in either or both systems to eliminate these SSOs (sanitary sewer overflows)." EGLE proposes an administrative consent order to formally resolve the violations that would include "a compliance program and applicable fines or penalties to resolve the aforementioned violations." Verona further stated that the EGLE Water Resources Division reserves the right "to take all necessary and appropriate enforcement actions for all violations," including "seeking civil fines, injunctive relief, natural resources damages, and all costs associated with this enforcement action, including attorney costs and any other relief available to the (division)." Macomb's Miller expresses vindication of longstanding concerns Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller has for years been very vocal on how Oakland County's inadequate sanitary sewer infrastructure and the resulting overflows have fouled Macomb County's waterways, including Lake St. Clair. She sounded a note of vindication with news of EGLE's latest enforcement action. "We are applauding EGLE for taking this punitive action against Oakland County for continued violations of state law prohibiting the discharge of raw sewage that threatens public health and the environment," Miller said. "What's crystal clear today is that the state is not satisfied with Oakland County's actions for years of repeated sanitary sewer overflows and is ratcheting up the pressure by forcing Oakland to take meaningful steps to prevent further illegal discharges — and rightfully so." Miller said EGLE's Water Resources Division for years failed to correct Oakland County's repeated discharges, but "obviously their plan to fix their serious problem of dumping on a neighboring county was rejected by the state, leading to this stepped-up enforcement action." Oakland's Nash: Miller 'playing politics' A statement issued Monday, July 14, from the Oakland County Water Commissioner's Office noted Nash has strongly advocated with EGLE that a regional solution must be pursued to alleviate the incidents that occur as a consequence of southeast Michigan's topography during increasingly frequent large rain events. "In fact, the Dequindre Interceptor is working as it should," Oakland County officials stated. "Without this regional approach, Oakland County, Macomb County and southeast Michigan will continue to be faced with the prospect of sewage overflows and basement backups due to extremely heavy rainfall." The office then turned its attention to Miller. "Macomb County's Public Works Commissioner is trying to create controversy where there is none — choosing to play politics and cast blame on Oakland County instead of working with the Great Lakes Water Authority on a regional solution that protects all communities in Southeast Michigan," they stated. "While it may now be politically convenient to Commissioner Miller's inflammatory approach, the fact remains that in December 2023, after the region experienced a particularly bad rain event in April, she co-signed a letter with Commissioner Nash to seek that regional solution with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA). She has since turned her back on that, apparently, and would rather target Oakland County with inaccurate press releases to the media than come to the table and work on the regional solution she herself endorsed. That is not effective local government." Nash's office stated they will meet with EGLE officials over the enforcement notice later in July and will discuss "the issues with large rain events, the current system for handling them, and the urgent need for a regional solution that protects Southeast Michigan." Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: EGLE: Oakland County violating environmental laws with sewage overflows Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Petersburg voters could be asked to decide on new tax to upgrade infrastructure
ST. PETERSBURG — Last year's back-to-back hurricanes, record rainfalls and unprecedented flooding showed a need for accelerating water and stormwater system upgrades as sea levels rise and storms intensify. City officials are responding with a plan to fast-track resiliency projects that had been scheduled to begin in a decade or later. How to fund that plan — $614 million to do some of the needed projects within the next five years — remains an open question. The city is already doing some upgrades funded through utility bill increases. But council members are considering bringing voters a referendum to pay for upgrades with a new property tax in lieu of hiking utility rates again for the plan. City Council members will continue the discussion in future committee meetings. But if ultimately approved by around May, voters would see a referendum on their November 2026 ballot to decide whether they want a new cost on property tax bills to accelerate planned resiliency projects. Among the identified projects are improvements to stormwater drainage and wastewater collection systems, stormwater flood protection and pump stations and wastewater treatment facilities. 'I understand not wanting to put more debt onto future generations,' council member Brandi Gabbard said. 'Our city is less desirable, less sustainable and less resilient for future generations if we don't act now.' If approved with a majority vote, the referendum would authorize taking out general obligation bonds to be paid back over 30 years. Projects would begin following the second quarter of 2027. City officials said they wanted to spread the burden of paying for upgrades to renters, tenants and property owners through a combination of both hiked utility rates increases and an extra property tax. And the city would have more cash up front take on less debt. The city is also expecting to use $25 million from a federal disaster grant to go toward the total tab. But some council members didn't embrace the idea of large utility bill increases. 'The rate increases by themselves, without this program, are starting to become unsustainable,' said council member Mike Harting. 'Selling this on top of that is just one more reason that I think it becomes more difficult to look at rate increases.'
Globe and Mail
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Globe and Mail
Vancouver can't stop the rain, but it can control where it ends up
When the rainclouds burst over Vancouver one grey day this past winter, Lon LaClaire was delighted to see floodwater streaming into newly terraced pools on the side of a steep hill in an east-side neighbourhood. Mr. LaClaire, Vancouver's chief engineer, is part of a team that has been working to ensure much of the city's abundant rain does not end up flooding through the sewer system, sweeping everything from road debris and toxic chemicals into surrounding waterways – False Creek, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River – along with it. On St. George Street, heavy rain occasionally meant closing the roadway after large amounts of rubble washed onto it. But not this time. 'We were all watching the water spill out of each of those weirs,' Mr. LaClaire said. 'Every drop of rain on St. George didn't go to the drain. It performed better than all of our other projects.' The St. George Rainway is just one example of the new approach Vancouver and other Canadian cities are taking to stormwater management. Projects include tree trenches, permeable pavement, marsh-like areas built around sewer openings, plus rain gardens and bioswales. (The latter two are landscaped features that use vegetation to filter rainwater.) Montreal's 'sponge parks' have generated interest and praise, as have Toronto's efforts to encourage green roofs, which prevent rainwater from flowing down to the streets. Vancouver's strategy is not just about protecting the environment. It's also a cost-saving measure, since the hope is that the city won't have to spend as much money expanding sewer lines. The St. George project cost about $1.6-million for the water-improvement part. But along with rainwater-capture requirements for new developments, it will save Vancouver $16.5-million in upgrades, according to city estimates. 'The tanks and green infrastructure are going to save us hundreds of millions in not needing larger pipes,' Mr. LaClaire said. Vancouver's efforts have been going on for a few years, but were given a renewed push when council approved the city's Healthy Waters Plan earlier this year. 'We're super excited to see this kind of work happening,' said Emily Amon, the director of green infrastructure programs at Green Communities Canada. 'It is certainly among the leaders nationally in sustainable stormwater management. What you see in Vancouver is a more holistic approach. Often these issues elsewhere seem to be disjointed.' As of March, the city had developed 400 infrastructure projects aimed at treating and detaining rainwater runoff from 321,000 square metres of street. These include tree trenches built alongside a downtown bike route that absorb water and allow for bigger canopy trees to grow on the street because of the extra moisture. 'The goal is to mimic the natural hydrology, the same filtering and sponge characteristic of rainforests,' said Robb Lukes, Vancouver's associate director for green infrastructure. Mr. Lukes, who has worked in this field for 23 years, said other cities are taking similar steps. Seattle, Portland, Philadelphia and New York have been especially aggressive, with thousands of projects apiece. But, he said, Vancouver is catching up with those American cities in terms of standardizing the approach. 'We're making it business as usual everywhere. Any big road project, we look at how to put in green infrastructure. We're a bit ahead of the curve in Canada.' For example, any time the city installs a corner bulge – an improvement that extends the sidewalk out at intersections to make pedestrian crossings shorter – it builds in 'bioretention' instead of spending the same $20,000 to $30,000 to move the catch basin. Even though the rainwater projects are a small part of the city's overall system so far – the 27 hectares they cover represent 1 per cent of total street area – officials are eyeing the potential financial benefits. The council has budgeted $4-billion to spend in the next 50 years on its healthy-waters initiatives, in addition to its work to separate sanitary and storm sewers. Larger buildings in Vancouver have been required to manage rainwater on-site for several years. The policy was expanded in January, 2024, with developers getting credit for landscaping, green roofs and water reuse systems. The recently built Deloitte office tower has a 230,000-litre holding tank in its underground parking, with the water used for flushing all of the toilets in the building. As of July 1, all new homes require detention tanks, which will add $15,000 to $25,000 in construction costs – an expense that will likely make some people unhappy. (Detention tanks hold water temporarily. Retention tanks hold water on site so it never gets to the sewer system.) In a first for Canada, Vancouver has also amended its building bylaw to allow people in private homes to install systems that recycle their greywater from showers, clothes washers and sinks. Ultimately, Vancouver hopes to reduce the uncomfortably high number of sewer backups (1,242) and surface floods (2,653) it sees every year – issues that viscerally bother city engineers. 'If you look at a Metro Vancouver overflow map,' said Chris Radziminski, a city of Vancouver building-policy engineer, 'on a rainy day, it's a little bit sad.'
