The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Devastating sewer backups have city council broadening a program that helps homeowners protect their basements. Council voted last week to offer municipal subsidies to residents of Flin Flon, Sask., who wish to install backwater valves or sump pumps with pit-drainage systems. The city will cover up to 25 per cent of the cost of a valve and sump system, up to $1,500 per home _ $500 for the valve and $1,000 for the sump system. As it has for the past year, the city will continue to offer the same subsidy to residents on the Manitoba side of the border. The difference is that the Manitoba government also chips in toward those grants. As a result, Flin Flon, Man., residents can get up to $3,000 in assistance _ $1,000 for a valve and $2,000 for a sump system. The Saskatchewan government does not offer funding for such grants, nor has it announced any intention to do so. The city budgeted up to $30,000 a year for the backup-prevention grant program in both 2012 and 2013. See 'Grants' on pg. Continued from pg. The city has said applicants will be given preference if they live in a neighbourhood where homes have been known to sustain sewer backups. Council's decision to now offer grants to Saskatchewan residents follows several recent reports of sewer backups in the South Hudson Street area. One South Hudson resident said he had just invested more than $30,000 to finish his basement 'and it all went out the window' during a backup that coincided with heavy rainfall. For the past two years, council has fielded such complaints not only from South Hudson area residents, but also those living in the Aspen Grove-Princess Boulevard area. Despite much speculation, it is not clear why the rainfall-induced backups started two years ago and why they appear only to impact specific neighbourhoods. The city has consulted engineers to get to the bottom of the problem and has also made tweaks to the infrastructure system with the goal of saving basements. It just might be working. Chief Administrative Officer Mark Kolt said that following the most recent heavy rainfall last week, the city had no complaints of backups. In the longer term, Coun. Bill Hanson has said the city will seek technical advice in 'exploring the feasibility of other potential solutions or improvements, including diversion pipes, pipe capacity changes, pumping options and potential regulatory action.' The Manitoba government unveiled a backup-prevention program in January 2011, offering to partner with municipalities to help homeowners install backup-prevention devices. The cities of Winnipeg and Brandon were first on board. Flin Flon joined in 2012. 'I encourage Manitobans to take advantage of this valuable program, which will give homeowners peace of mind that their homes are better protected,' Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux said in a previous news release.
