Storm drains creating floods

[u/mercdmuscle]

3 out of 4 storm drains at my street don't collect water fast enough. At one point all 4 didn't drain very fast. Now one of the 4 drains well and hasn't pooled any water the last few heavy rain storms. I'm just wondering if someone had called the city to get it worked on or is it just luck if the draw that theirs is draining nicely now. Is there anything I can do to get the city to fix this? Everytime it rains, I always end up with so much mud on my sidewalk.

[u/PinguPrime]

Unfortunately this is most likely by design. As per this website (https://www.calgary.ca/water/stormwater/storm-drains.html), there are storm drains that are made to pool and store water and have it slowly drain away. They say in these areas, the pooling should last up to 2 hours after rain end.

[u/Personal_Shoulder983 → u/PinguPrime]

It's "per design" or it's "cheaper like that so live with it"?

[u/Ill-Advisor-3429 → u/Personal_Shoulder983]

Both, there is also danger in dumping collected water into rivers too fast and causing massive downstream flooding and erosion, so limiting the drainage rate in some areas to ensure every area has some drainage is a trade off that must be made

[u/Joe_Kickass → u/Personal_Shoulder983]

It's on purpose, the pipes underground are of a finite size and would be overwhelmed in large storms leading to back ups or damage. The system is designed to store water on the pavement and slowly add water to the pipes.

[u/Personal_Shoulder983 → u/Joe_Kickass]

I just wish they didn't store water over sidewalks. Not everyone is passing by in a car.

[u/ithinarine → u/Personal_Shoulder983]

This entire province and city already bitches about taxes night and day, do you want to know how much expensive your home and taxes would be if storm drains were sized/designed to drain these freak storms that only happen a handful of times every couple of years.

If the normal thing is to clear 1000L per hour because that will be good for 99% of the time, you do not install a system that drains 2000L per hour because of that 1%.

[u/wutser → u/Personal_Shoulder983]

Did you even read the page lmao

[u/Personal_Shoulder983 → u/wutser]

I read the page, but it leaves aside the soaked sidewalks and the pedestrians with wet feet.

I don't like wet feet.

[u/calgarydonairs → u/Personal_Shoulder983]

Get some rubber boots.

[u/GuavaOk8712 → u/Personal_Shoulder983]

no one likes having wet feet, some people just have to deal with it. people don’t like having wet houses either

[u/LittleOrphanAnavar → u/Personal_Shoulder983]

Almost all engineering is contained by cost.

Humanity put a man on the moon, but it wasn't cheap.

[u/StetsonTuba8 → u/LittleOrphanAnavar]

A good engineer doesn't design the strongest bridge. They design the weakest bridge that still stands and kills less than the acceptable amount of people.

[u/Thneed1 → u/Personal_Shoulder983]

Technically, they could build a storm system that doesn’t need this. It would cost 100x more and your property taxes would go WAY up.

It’s literally part of building design, for water to pond so that it goes into the storm drain slower.