Weather Condition Updates/Recent Flooding July 16, 2024

Weather Condition Updates 

UPDATE 3/3

I’d like to provide you with a final update and wrap-up on the City’s response to last weeks weather event which saw Mississauga receive a month’s worth of rain in just one day, (over the course of four to six hours) – which exceeded the 100-year storm event. The update provides details regarding the overall impact on various infrastructure assets, the questions we’ve addressed through the media, and ongoing clean-up efforts. Information from the Region’s rain gauge and radar system shows 107mm of rain fell over Ward 3 in Mississauga, equivalent to a 100 year design storm.

Cleanup efforts continue across the city and include removal of debris from sidewalks, roads and trails. The majority of roads and parks that were closed yesterday have reopened. Marinas, gravel park trails and sports fields, continue with ongoing assessments regarding washouts, needed repairs and long-term damage. Most of the damage we’re seeing is impacting infrastructure like asphalt, pedestrian bridges, playgrounds, sports-field turf and fences.

The City’s stormwater infrastructure did its job. Every time a storm of this size occurs, it prompts a crucial discussion about funding our infrastructure. The City’s stormwater system and in particular the detention ponds and underground storage systems, served as a strong frontline defense yesterday. These enhancements were key in significantly reducing the impact of flooding.

Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services responded to more than 160 incidents, which included numerous water rescues and an evacuation of 113 seniors from a long-term care home. No injuries or deaths were reported as a result of the storm. Throughout the day, MFES provided crucial assistance in various emergencies including rescuing individuals trapped in flooded and stalled vehicles.

311 received twice their daily call average. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., more than 2,000 calls were triaged, leading to 150 significant flooding event service requests being dispatched. 38 calls were related to property damage from water flooding basements, 10 of these calls were from the Lisgar area.

The rise in call volumes resulted in somewhat longer wait times, averaging around 4 to 5 minutes, with the majority of calls focused on:

• Flood emergency
• Maintenance of Catch basins
• Non-emergency clean up
• Parking enforcement
• Water outside of home

Forestry received more than 100 calls about fallen trees and branches across the city, impacting roads, sidewalks, and trails. Calls were prioritized based on safety hazards. Cleanup operations are slated to continue over the coming weeks.

In terms of transit, flooding occurred on the transitway for a short period of time and nine MiWay bus routes were detoured. Operations have been restored back to normal as of today.

Power outages within Mississauga were limited. At the peak of the event, Alectra Utilities advised there were approximately 313 customers without power in the City Centre area (Confederation Parkway and Kirwin Drive), with an estimated restoration time of approximately 5 – 7 p.m.

We’re also advising residents who have called in to report flooded basements, to watch for electrical and health hazards, as they clean up and to advise them to call their insurance company to assess damages. Their insurer will recommend a qualified contractor to evaluate and restore any damages.

In regards to Ward 3 specifically, clean-up efforts continue across the City’s roadways with the majority of clean-up having been completed up to this point. In Ward 3, the area of Queen Frederica Drive affected by the event has been cleaned and areas of the boulevard that were eroded have now been restored. Restoration of roadway areas affected by the rain event are ongoing. All identified areas requiring restoration have been temporarily addressed to make the areas safe. There are a number of parks and trails that are still closed due to unsafe conditions. Specific to Ward 3, Applewood Hills North playground and a portion of the Etobicoke Creek Trail remain closed. Residents are asked to adhere to any safety signage that may be in place in these areas.

There has been a lot of effort that the Region has taken to reduce incidents of basement flooding caused by sanitary surcharging in Ward 3. Due to the overwhelming amount of rain, the Peel Region experienced flooded creeks, overland flooding and some maintenance hole covers popping off due to the volume of water in the storm and sanitary systems. Peel Regional staff have been working at full capacity to address these issues as quickly as possible.  

As you may be aware, staff have completed significant work related to Inflow and Infiltration of the sanitary system and here are some quick facts for this area:

• Over 98% of sanitary sewers within Ward 3 have been inspected by CCTV. The sewers are in a state of good repair. Over 70% of sanitary manholes (1204) within Ward 3 have been inspected since 2016 or earlier. Over 98% of sanitary sewers are smoke tested as part of our Inflow and Infiltration program. There are approximately 92 downspouts left to be discounted. There are no known cross-connections between the storm and sanitary system within Ward 3. 12 flow meters have monitored the system over the years.

I’m happy to share that over the past years, we have achieved a lot of completed projects in Ward 3 include the following:

• Ponytrail by-pass – completed in 2019 the project involved a major new 1200mm sanitary bypass along Rathburn Road, Ponytrail Drive south to Briarcrook Cres. to alleviate sanitary system constraints.
• Bloor Street, Bridgewood Drive sanitary system improvements – completed in 2017 this project included replacement of the existing sanitary sewer to the Etobicoke creek
• Region of Peel and City of Mississauga – Cross connection sub committee was established to identify cross connections between the sanitary and storm system and correct all occurrences.  New standards for review and construction were completed and numerous cross connections were eliminated
• Maintenance hole “candy canes” which reduce inflow into sanitary sewers – large stainless steel “candy canes” were installed along new sewer to permit proper ventilation and reduce inflow into ventilation system during high rainfall events.

The Region also has major sanitary system improvements in the design phase:

• Little Etobicoke Creek sanitary relief sewer – a new interconnecting relief sewer is planned for construction in 2025 along Burnhamthorpe Road from the Little Etobicoke Creek to the Cawthra relief sewer to reduce surcharging during high I&I events.
• Cawthra Relief sewer extension – the existing Cawthra trunk relief sewer is proposed to be extended to Queensway and a new Trunk sewer is proposed along Queen street from Hurontario to Etobicoke creek.  These new trunk sewer provide additional capacity for growth and surcharge relief during high rainfall and I&I events.

The Cawthra Trunk Sewer will provide sanitary sewer capacity relief in the Applewood Hills and Applewood Heights neighbourhoods. Phase 1 and Phase 2 – Cawthra Road between Burnhamthorpe Road to Dundas Street East complete.Phase 3 – Cawthra Road from Dundas to Queensway and along Burnhamthorpe Between Tomken Road to west of Cawthra is under design with construction planned to commence in 2025. Numerous State of Good Repair works have been completed with sanitary sewer relining and maintenance hole repairs completed on numerous streets as well as complete sanitary sewer replacement on Copseholm Trail and Hyacinthe Blvd.

Give the scale and scope of damages from the rainfall event on July 16, the Peel Region Waste Management team has developed the following plan for the collection of flood waste debris in Peel:

Pre-Step: Residents should contact their insurance providers to resolve any claims related to flood damage.

Curbside Pickup (Primary Method): Residents can place their flood-damaged materials at the curb for collection. Residents must call Peel Region’s Customer Contact Centre at (905) 791-9499 to request for flood-related waste collection. This will help us efficiently manage the collection process.This collection method will be advertised on all of Peel’s platforms and we encourage you to share through your channels as well.

Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) – Alternative Only: While the primary method to use is curbside collection service, CRCs are also available as an alternative. Residents can take flood waste materials to these centres, where disposal fees will be waived. Residents must clearly state that the material is flood-related waste. To manage the influx of materials, we ask that you refrain from publicly advertising the CRC option. This will help prevent an overload of non-flood-related waste being claimed as flood debris.

Please be assured that all claims, whether they be injury or damage to property, are thoroughly investigated by the Insurance & Risk Management Section of Legal Services.  Consideration for making any payment by the City must be based on legal liability arising out of negligence.

We would respectfully ask that you contact the Risk Management area directly at risk.management@mississauga.ca, or by phone at 905-615-3200 ext. 3922, or you may file your claim details online at http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/fileaclaim.

I would like to remind all residents that if you are experiencing basement flooding at your home, please follow the steps below for immediate action to have this addressed.

1. Report to your insurance company.
2. Report to the City – mississauga.ca/services-and-programs/health-and-safety/extreme-weather-conditions/floods
3. Report to the Region – peelregion.ca/water/flooding-leaks/basement-flooding

Finally, a heartfelt thank you is extended to all City staff and crews for their swift and diligent efforts to address safety hazards throughout the event, ensuring the safety of Mississauga residents and minimizing damage.

Weather Condition Updates 

UPDATE 2/3 

City staff have been actively managing the flood situation from earlier today. Here is a quick rundown of where efforts have been concentrated: