Flooding on Arthur St. East in Harriston June 23, 2017. (Photo by Dan Bieman)Flooding on Arthur St. East in Harriston June 23, 2017. (Photo by Dan Bieman)
Midwestern

Flood prevention work continues in Harriston

The mayor of Minto is sympathizing with people in Central Ontario and other parts of the country who are dealing with flooding.

In 2016, flooding caused about $6 million in damage in Harriston, and they're still looking at options for long-term solutions. There was also significant flood damage in 2017.

But Mayor George Bridge said they have been able to do a few things to avoid any serious problems this spring.

"We had a lot of old trees that had fallen in the river there over the years and created kind of a damming issue," he said. "So this spring we went in there with a crew and eliminated a lot of that along the banks and making the banks a little bit different so that they can actually take a bit more water."

Bridge said that gave them the opportunity to lower the river in some areas so that when the water in the river gets up high, it won't block the storm drains as it has in the past.

Bridge said those things have all helped this spring, but they're not long term solutions.  After 2016, they were looking at things like re-routing the river around the town or putting up levies, among other things. And he added they have received funding that will allow them to take a better look at their options.

"Now that's not the final fix, of course. Our rain has been able to be moved through the river system without having any major floods at this point. We're not anticipating anything in the next couple of days, so that should be alright," he said.

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