In the flood back in the summer of 2009 my entire street, which is Teal Avenue, flooded. As the youngest homeowner on the block I was devastated to find out that our basement was filled with water and many of our belongs as well as the foundation to our home was ruined. I was bailing water for hours until my parents came to help and it wasn’t until I went outside that I saw every single person in the same situation. New homes that were just built on my street had even flooded out. People who had backup emergency pumps still flooded. That day was the worst day ever. Not only did our whole community flood (Church Street, Green Road, Frances and Teal) but our beloved Turtle Pond swelled from all the water rushing down to the lake and it burst out into Lake Ontario. Standing there at the mouth of the pond watching half the water drain out like Niagara Falls was heart wrenching. The pond has never regained the water to this day and you can tell that there were and will be long lasting effects to the wildlife who live here and use this pond each day.
In my opinion the water (flooding) has been getting worse as the years go by. I had noticed once the Red Hill Parkway was completed there seemed to be more issues of swelling and drainage problems.
This flood was not caused by a plugged sewer drain. There are real issues regarding the flood plains in our community. The issues are so severe for some that they are not able to claim through their insurance anymore.
In relation to the flooding issue that was talked about in this article was also a mention to the newest development going on in our community right now. It’s called the “Green Millen Estates” which is on Green Road.
Let it be clear that the community did not want this development.
I attended all of the public meetings for this development and no one was interested in listening to what we “the community” had to say. I do not understand why there are public meetings where they ask for our input and then they go back to the board or the city and tell them the exact opposite.
We understand that this piece of property had been scheduled since the 1970s, according to Maria Pearson, but this is not the 1970s anymore. This was scheduled at a time when there was nothing but forest and country down here. Now everything is built up and rammed in to every last spot and we are really starting to see the effects from this. Can you believe that the community posed questions to the City planning department, which then was directed to the developer, which was then directed to Dougan & Associates who did the environmental impact study – and not one person could get back to us with the questions we asked. We asked a series of questions that included questions on flooding, the environment, our safety, the wildlife, the seawall they have to construct – and not once in an email or by letter did we get any answers. The process you have at the City for citizens to get involved with development projects in their communities is broken and unfair.
Can the City not purchase some of these lands in question? What about the properties mentioned at 560 Grays Road? It is shown in the new urban official plan mapping as a “linkage” for the natural heritage system. How could this not have been mentioned in the report going to council? This is why we question plans that have been on the table for years for development! Why must we stuff every last green space with a townhouse complex or apartment building? Especially when it is evident that the infrastructure cannot be supported down here. There are 2 ESAs in our area alone which I think it something special, something the City should think is worth holding onto. I am sure that there are other places in this City that fit the same criteria. Why are we not doing the right thing for our citizens? More studies should be put into areas with extreme flooding issues. We should all feel safe and secure in our homes in a storm. And why are we not protecting the green spaces and wildlife in Hamilton for all to enjoy in the future?
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