Sarnia's public works crews are undertaking a massive project aimed at mitigating basement flooding for residents in the Coronation Park neighbourhood.
They're installing two new pumps at the Mayfair Pumping Station in central Sarnia.
The $1.1 million project includes a generator and building upgrades which will increase the station’s pumping capacity by 50 per cent.
Manager of Development and Transportation Alister Brown said the work builds on ongoing efforts to address inflow and infiltration of stormwater into the sanitary system from improperly connected sump pumps.
He said that's one of the primary causes of basement flooding in the area, noting about 500 of the 1,300 homes in the neighbourhood have been inspected.
"We identified approximately 82 properties that had those improper connections of their sump pumps," said Brown. "To date, we've rectified 40 of them so we're almost half way there. We continue to work with the homeowners, and have a dedicated staff member who is working with those homeowners directly now."
Brown said upgrades to the Mayfair Pumping Station are expected to be completed by late spring or early summer, ahead of further flood mitigation work this year.
"The second phase of that project will get into sewer replacement and forcemain replacement downstream of that pumping station," he said. "That will increase the capacity of the sewers leading to the pumping station. With that one, we're looking at Mayfair Drive, Minto Street and Germain Street."
Brown said the work will also include new road surface, watermain, sidewalk and curbs.
A tender for phase two, estimated to cost $3.5 million, is expected to be awarded at Sarnia council's meeting on March 31.
The flooding issue came to the forefront in the summer of 2022.
On Thursday, August 4, the city's sewer system was overwhelmed when 45 millimetres of rain fell in a short period of time.
By about 9:30 a.m. the next day, the city had already heard from over 100 homeowners reporting flood damage.
A "Development Action Plan" was approved and implemented about a week later.
The City of Sarnia also has a basement flooding grant program.