Hidden Infrastructure Uncovered, Lack of Funding Revealed

Several recent events have highlighted how much our communities depend on our infrastructure to enable us to go about our daily lives.

In Toronto, two large sinkholes (one five metres in diameter and 14 metres deep, the other five metres in diameter and three metres deep) appeared after heavy rainfall and closed Finch Avenue in both directions between Bathhurst and Dufferin. The cause of the sinkholes is suspected to be the collapse of a 60-year-old, 450-millimetre diameter corrugated metal storm sewer. The road is anticipated to be closed for weeks while repairs are made. This section of Finch Avenue is considered a major artery, connecting local businesses, public schools and York University, with an estimated 35,000 cars using it on a typical day.

On July 26, storms in Hamilton overwhelmed Red Hill Creek and parts of the storm drainage system in the east end of the City. The Red Hill Creek Parkway and the Queen Elizabeth Way both had to be closed, over 1,000 homes were flooded, power and gas were shut off to over 600 customers, and cars were trapped in flooded underpasses.

Stormwater systems often don’t receive the degree of attention devoted to other infrastructure (such as roads), possibly because they’re only required to operate at their full capacity when there is a major storm, while we expect our roads to provide a smooth ride all the time. Between those large storms, our stormwater infrastructure is “out of sight, out of mind.”

The above incidents are just a few of those, many not as highly publicized, which frequently occur in our communities. They emphasize the importance of our water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure to businesses and daily activities in our municipalities.

Only time can determine whether the recent rainfall events represent an increase in the frequency and intensity of large storms due to climate change. But it is clear that the possibility exists and we will need to continually monitor such events and review the design criteria that are presently used.

It will never be possible to reduce the risk of stormwater flooding or sewer collapses to zero; to do so would be more than we as a society are likely willing to pay. However, we must invest enough in the refurbishment, rehabilitation and replacement of our infrastructure so that, if those systems do fail, the frequency is sufficiently low that the economic impacts and environmental effects are of an acceptable level.

Despite recent increased levels of funding, the stormwater flooding events experienced since 2004 by Peterborough, Toronto, Hamilton and Edmonton, to name just a few municipalities, and recent watermain and sewer failures, are an indication that we have still a long way to go.

Carl Bodimeade is VP at Hatch Mott MacDonald and past chair of the Ontario Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure. This blog post also appears at renewcanada.net.