Come on beans and dirty water – Winnipeg Free Press

A hailstorm that lashed the city and its suburbs on Thursday damaged more than a thousand vehicles and caused significant sewage spillage.

Winnipeg Water and Waste reports that 3100 Abinojii Mikana (formerly Bishop Grandin Blvd.) shut off the sewer until 8 p.m. Thursday, causing 5.5 million liters of diluted sewage to be released directly into the Red River.

“(This wastewater) goes into a major river, so it gets diluted,” Kuhn said. Brian Mayes, Water and Waste Committee Chair.

“However, at some point these recurring events are still the main pollutant entering the river. There is no way around it.”

Thursday's spill lasted at least four hours before being called “ongoing” in a city report. The city plans to update the total volume of sewage spills after the long weekend.

Mayes noted that the system is designed to divert wastewater to rivers to prevent it from pooling in basements.

“People don't want us to dump (wastewater) into their basements, so we dump into the river. This is a judgment made long ago. In this day and age, we have to do a better job of not letting this go down the river,” he said.

Mayes said he will continue to urge the city to explore sewage storage tunnels as a potential way to collect diluted sewage and prevent spills into rivers during storms, and he will also push for an increase in annual funding for the master plan for mitigation. mixed sewage.

A massive sewage spill occurred at the site in February, when a pipe failure released more than 228 million liters of raw sewage into the river. The emergency bypass system set up to contain the spill is working properly, but Thursday's storm exceeded its capacity, according to the city's website.

Water pollution is not the only problem caused by the storm.

As of Friday afternoon, Manitoba Public Insurance had received about 1,150 hail-related claims from Winnipeg and surrounding areas related to Thursday's storm.

“Because our data reflects searches over time, these numbers may not represent all potential claims for this weather event as consumers continue to open claims,” ​​Christy Reeds said in an email.

Hail reported Thursday fell from Fort Harry to Polo Park and Sturgeon Creek and was mostly hail size, although some people reported tony-sized stones, said Natalie Hassell, Environment and Climate Change Warning Preparedness Meteorologist. Canada.

St James resident Fiona Odlum said her entire property was covered in nickel-sized hail.

“It lasted 15 minutes. “I've never seen a bean last that long,” Odlum said. “It was just crazy. It went on and on. When I finished, I went out and he stepped on my leg. Here it is hail.”

Odlum said he went to Tuxedo a few minutes later and saw residents using snow shovels to remove hail from the roads.

Hassell said Winnipeg received 20 millimeters of rain Thursday, while Brunkild received 28.5 and Morris 27.3.

“Thunderstorms are not unusual in southern Manitoba in May,” he said. “Last year, for hail in May, we reported 34 hail events across the province, with at least two reports reporting looney and tawny sizes and at least (some) golf ball sizes.”

St. James Coun. Sean Dobson said the hail completely covered the ground near his home, resembling snow, and destroyed at least one of his homes.

Number. Janice Loucks (Waverly West) said she hadn't heard any reports of hail damage, but noticed some significant puddles Friday morning.

“Some of the drains were blocked because we had a lot of hail … so a lot of leaves were shredded and then they blocked the drains,” Loucks said, noting the roads were still passable.

Steve Chipman, president of Birchwood Automotive Group, said vehicles at two of the company's Linden Woods-area dealerships were hit by hail, but the extent of the damage is still being determined.

“We know there is damage, but we don't know how much. To properly appreciate a car, you have to put it under the light… There may be micro-pits that are needed (viewing soon),” said Chipman, noting that the cars on the lots are covered by private insurance, not Autopac.

“We just got through last August when there was a hailstorm in Winnipeg…and we've been fixing cars non-stop ever since. We have a separate facility that we have set up to handle hail complaints.”

Chipman said the work is nearing completion, but there will be more to look at now.

The City of Winnipeg received dozens of storm-related service requests as of 11:30 a.m. Friday, including 28 for basement flooding, 76 for flooded streets/ditches, 13 for downed trees/broken branches and 15 and road signal problems.

Hassell said Manitobans should be prepared to deal with severe weather over the long weekend.

“There is a generalized thunderstorm risk for most of the southern Prairies and Manitoba – a good part of the Interlake,” he said.

— With files from Kevin Rollason

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Joyanna Pursaga
Reporter

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Joyanne loves to tell the stories of this city, especially when politics are involved. Joyanna became a city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press in early 2020.

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