Every morning for the past seven weeks, Carla Green has walked down stairs to turn on the pump that has been draining 50 gallons of water each day out of her basement.
Since the late snowfall that left thousands of residents without power, those living in the Town and MD of Bonnyville have been experiencing another issue in itself. They wake up to their basements, lawns, and fields flooded with inches of water.
The Green family have been experiencing it first-hand. For the first few weeks, they did what they could to ignore the sound of the pump running 24-hours a day. When they had finally had enough, they chose to turn it off at night so they could find some solace.
“It got to the point that the sound was driving me crazy,” described Green.
They have been living in the same Bonnyville home for over 10 years, and have only had seepage on one other occasion.
Green recalls the event, remembering it happened six years ago on the morning of her wedding.
The flooding they had then was very different than what they're experiencing now.
Green first believed it was a waterline leakage that had caused the flooding, but was quick to learn they weren't the only ones.
“We've talked to so many people and they're having the same issues, so we're just assuming it's the water levels,” noted Green.
A wet fall, quick freeze, and late and heavy snowfall in the spring has risen the water table levels above average for the area.
With calls flooding in, the town began looking into the source.
“We've gone out to investigate some of the calls, but a lot of it is because the water tables are so high,” said Mayor of Bonnyville Gene Sobolewski.
They have been reminding residents to check their sub pumps and weeping tile so if the levels continue to rise, residents can rest easy knowing they're covered.
“Bonnyville itself, we're plagued with very flat land. We do have some newer areas where we do have storm ponds, but when the water wants to run, it's going to do that, and it's going to find the lowest point,” noted Sobolewski.
“When the water table rises, there is very little the town can do. We can try and redirect some flow, we can try pumping it and things like that, but the majority of it will go to a ditch or a drainage basin.”
He continued, “Mother Nature is the one who controls when it dries up. If we have another wet year, it could be a while before the water table goes down.”
The MD of Bonnyville is experiencing a similar issue. Water levels in lakes are abnormally high and residents are complaining of damage to their homes, docks, and fields.
“I've heard a lot of damage out on Moose Lake because of high winds and high water levels,” said Matt Janz, director of agriculture and waste services for the MD. “People have to remember if they put structures out on the lake, they have to be prepared to take on that kind of moisture and wind.”
About 400-kilometres of drainage ditches run throughout the MD, and inhabiting some of those ditches and creeks are beavers.
“They (the beavers) plug them up, and we have, and still are, trying to make the water flow and make sure everything is draining properly,” explained Janz. “We're just trying to make sure the creeks aren't blocked off and are flowing as best as they can.”
The MD is taking a similar approach to the town by encouraging residents to check and double check their sub pumps.
“The water table in our area is right up to almost ground level, and that's why people are seeing water come into their basements,” Janz said. “We haven't seen moisture levels like this, a lot of people are saying since 1997 others are saying the mid-70s. It's very rare that we see this kind of moisture.”
The MD is also offering sandbags to residents, and will give up to 100 per person on request.
“We're just trying to help where we can,” Janz expressed.
Right now, their main focus is on roadways, but once they're in the clear the MD will turn their attention to pasture flooding and assisting residents.
Every day, the Green's pump extracts 50 gallons of water; drawing away the six inches they find every morning.
“It's wrecked our basement and we can't fix it because it's continuingly coming in. We're just waiting for it to stop.”
The harm goes beyond the physical damage being done to the home. Green's son has a room in the basement and suffers from asthma.
Green can hear him coughing more than usual, and has linked it to the high moisture levels from the flooding.
What damage has been done won't be covered by their home insurance. The family reached out to their insurance provider. They were given an example of what would be covered, and it wasn't seepage.
“What they told me is had there been a big storm and something broke the window and then water started coming into the house (for it to be covered),” Green noted.
There's nothing the family can do to stop the water from seeping in. Feeling helpless, they wait for drier days.
“I don't think there's anyone that can stop it. We're just waiting. We've been waiting for a long time for it to just stop.”
