A blocked culvert is being blamed for a Sunday evening flood that left a large part of Plamondon with water damage.
Plamondon homeowners saw their homes flooded with water Sunday evening after a culvert under Highway 858, which leads to Plamondon from Highway 55, became clogged and prevented the melt water from draining properly.
“The majority of the town was affected from the flush-out,” said Mitch Newton, Manager of Protective Services for Lac La Biche County who was on-scene.
According to firefighters, the flooding started at around 8 p.m. after creating a pool of water 150 yards wide which then began flowing into Plamondon. Firefighters from Plamondon, Lac La Biche and Hylo attempted to pump out the small lake using eight generators Sunday night and yesterday morning to prevent another flood. The pool of water at the top of the hill was about a quarter of a mile long, and firefighters relied on generators to pump the spring water down a hill on the other side of the road.
Firefighters were still working on draining the water on Monday but emphasized that if they don’t get extra help from other fire departments, there is a chance Plamondon residents may see more flooding.
“We are trying to get ahead of it but if we don’t see any additional help, then we may see another flood,” said Newton.
Plamondon homeowner Chris Manca, whose house is near the blocked culvert, watched firefighters pump out water from his front yard Monday morning. The Plamondon resident and his family came home after a trip to Mexico Sunday night to find more than 18 inches of water in their basement and more water in their front yard.
“I’ve lived in this house for 14 years and I have never seen this happen before,” said Manca.
The Mancas have contacted their insurance company who told the couple that their insurance policy doesn’t cover snow and water run-off, leaving the Mancas wondering who will come to Plamondon residents’ aid.
“If the insurance company is blaming the water run-off on the county, will county officials help us?” said Darlene Manca.
But county officials say Highway 858 leading into Plamondon is Alberta Transportation’s responsibility because it is owned and managed by them.
Alberta Transportation said they are focusing on clearing the water and then they will look at the damage done by the flooding.
“Our main focus is cleaning up the water and returning traffic to the road and we will look at the damage once the road is cleared,” said Heather Kaszuba, spokesperson for Alberta Transportation.