Photo by Vince Fedoroff
SWOLLEN WATERWAY – This summer’s heavy rainfall has seen the level of the Whistle Bend pond rise.
Whistle Bend drainage work is underway
Plans are in the works for a permanent automatic pumping system for the large storm water pond in the Whistle Bend subdivision.
Plans are in the works for a permanent automatic pumping system for the large storm water pond in the Whistle Bend subdivision.
Ron Bramadat, a project manager with the Yukon government, said this morning the rain in recent weeks has seen pond levels rise.
There has also been a pooling of water in the rain garden between the pond and the backyards of the Summerhill residential development.
The pooling of water next to backyard fencing was noted by a number of residents of the condo subdivision.
“With all the rain we had, it was a challenge to keep up with it,” Bramadat said this morning of the water level in the pond.
The pooling in the rain garden was caused by runoff from the Summerhill properties which are accessed off of Whistle Bend Way.
Bramadat said an agreement is in place between the territory and Evergreen Homes, which developed Summerhill, that the government will continue to monitor and maintain the pond and drain it when it reaches a maximum height.
The pond has been monitored daily since it was developed as part of Whistle Bend in 2013.
Pumping was also done last spring to drain some of the water after it reached its maximum height.
Design work on a permanent automatic pumping system for the pond is expected to be done by the end of the month. Once the design is complete, a tender will be released for the system, Bramadat said.
That will be part of an overall drainage system for the entire neighbourhood.
Storm water will ultimately be directed to a bioswale – essentially a large ditch made to look as natural as possible – and out of the neighbourhood to areas where there are natural depressions in the earth, he said.
The tender for the bioswale that will be part of the third phase of Whistle Bend has been released, Bramadat said.
Cost estimates for the bioswale are not being released, as it could impact the tender process, Bramadat explained.
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Comments (9)
Up 40 Down 0
north_of_60 on Sep 17, 2015 at 11:03 am
@Jasper "The City made a huge mistake to cut all the trees down to begin with anyway."
Yes it was a mistake, but it was YTGs 'solution' to clearcut the trees and truck in fill, to cover up the sewage system design mistakes made by the engineering company the YTG 'planners' contracted.
It's a pity there are no investigative reporters in the Yukon to expose the ineptitude surrounding this project.
Up 17 Down 4
Just Say'in on Sep 16, 2015 at 11:29 am
Don't PANIC it's ORGANIC. It is just run off water guys. It never gets treated. Where do you think all the storm sewers in Whitehorse go? Don't get started on that or they will be doing it and our taxes will triple and we will all have to leave.
Up 8 Down 8
Mick on Sep 15, 2015 at 9:13 am
@BnR
It is untreated waste water. Not to be confused with untreated sewage.
Are you advocating that any development can pump run off into a salmon stream?
Up 6 Down 5
Whistlebend Lake on Sep 14, 2015 at 10:08 pm
It might not be waste water, but hopefully it's not carrying a lot of sediment.
Up 26 Down 6
Jasper on Sep 14, 2015 at 7:17 pm
So here we go. Its starts with too much rain so they say. What did they (CoW)think, it never rains here? But wait for next spring.The meltwater from the snow has to go somewhere. Guess what? It will create its own flow which will eventually undermine houses. In the summer with a wind and all the dust and sand makes it look and feel like a dessert. I feel sorry for everybody that lives there. And good Luck to everybody that can sell and pity to everybody that buys. The City made a huge mistake to cut all the trees down to begin with anyway.
Up 30 Down 3
Politico on Sep 14, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Why would you build a pond in the middle of a sub division with no drainage?
Brilliant!
Up 29 Down 10
BnR on Sep 14, 2015 at 4:42 pm
Mick
Where on earth did you get the idea that this is "untreated waste water"????
It states right in the article that it "storm water", the same water that flows off the land, the streets etc, and right into the storm drains.
Nothing like taking things to the illogical conclusion.
Up 75 Down 9
Yukoner on Sep 14, 2015 at 3:55 pm
Just more wasted tax dollars thanks to whistle bend.
Up 95 Down 12
Mick on Sep 14, 2015 at 3:33 pm
So right now there is a pump running 24/7 with a firehose that runs off a couple hundred feet into the bush and eventually into McIntyre creek which also happens to have a salmon hatchery on it.
Something about this doesn't seem fully above board, it can't be legal to pump untreated waste water from a construction site directly into a water way can it?