Brian Williams
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
London Free Press
The record-breaking rainfall that swamped London in July also drenched neighbouring municipalities, including one that’s tallying up the cost of the damage done to four of its public parks.
A staff report going to Strathroy town council on Monday recommends they “immediately or in the near future” address flood damage done during intense, frequent rainstorms last month. Two “significant” storms within one week resulted in “severe” flooding at Cuddy Sports Fields, Alexandra Park, Centennial Park and Victoria Park, town staff say.
“I wouldn’t want to speculate on it, (but) between the playground and the picnic tables, we’re going to be between $25,000 and $35,000,” said Robert Lilbourne, Strathroy’s director of community services and author of the report. “There will be other expenses, but I don’t have a value.”
The list of other areas, buildings and objects damaged due to elevated water levels varies from park to park, but the report suggests cleanup efforts will be necessary for a baseball diamond, soccer fields, storage buildings, trees, foot bridges and turf among others.
Lilbourne said the affected parks are floodplains and designed to flood, typically one or two times a year in the spring. He called the heavy rainfall between July 7 and July 13 “abnormal.” He said when flooding occurs, it usually recedes in a day or two, but submerged areas that took longer to subside increased the damage to public property.
“The big challenge with this last flood was how long it took the waters to recede,” Lilbourne said. “Because of the amount of rain we’ve had this season, the water tables remain very high.”
Lilbourne’s report states staff have done their best with “limited resources available to rehabilitate the turf areas, clean up the parks and make necessary repairs,” but due to the extent and nature of the damage, outside contractors are needed to perform most work.
Environment Canada reported 210 millimetres of precipitation fell on London in July, breaking the old record of 204.6 mm for the month, set in 1992. The average rainfall for July is 83 mm.
Environment Canada wasn’t available to confirm the amount of rain that fell on Strathroy in July.
bwilliams@postmedia.com
