Spring brings with it rain and snow melt, both of which could add up to potential flooding issues in Penhold.
Mayor Dennis Cooper came up with some tips for Penhold residents to help with the water management issues in town.
"Once the snow has melted off the roof Ö putting your downspouts down," Cooper said, noting he's spotted several downspouts that are still not pointing water away from the house.
His next tip was to make sure that "sump pumps" are thawed out enough that water can run through them now that spring has arrived.
The third mayoral tip was a simple one that would help tackle street drainage issues. Cooper asked that if people see garbage covering a grate, "pull it off to the side so the streets drain properly."
The town is working to get the streets drained. Town public works staff were out on a weekend tackling full ditches recently.
"We got out there with the pumps on a Sunday," Cooper said.
The more gradual snow and warm temperatures has meant a lot of the snow has already been absorbed into the ground, something Cooper said is a good thing.
"I've seen the snow pack way heavier," he said.
Cooper said a storm water management report that was ordered in November will be coming back to council in the coming weeks.
"That'll give us a direction to point some dollars and cents," Cooper said. Penhold's fast growth pace means concerns should be addressed, he said.
"As the town expands we're producing more and more run off," he said. "We have to really start working towards solving the problems we have right now."
Cooper noted the construction of a storm water pond is under way in Penhold as part of a development.
Cooper said in a previous interview with The Province that capital Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding from the provincial government will go towards drainage and sewer infrastructure. The capital portion of the town's MSI funding is $452,228.
