{"id":100369,"date":"2021-07-16T11:53:08","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T15:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=100369"},"modified":"2021-07-16T12:32:29","modified_gmt":"2021-07-16T16:32:29","slug":"hibberd-lane-residents-say-development-is-to-blame-for-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/hibberd-lane-residents-say-development-is-to-blame-for-flooding\/","title":{"rendered":"Hibberd Lane residents say development is to blame for flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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A combination of heavy rain and the clearcutting of lands for a road and condominium development adjacent to their properties have caused what Hibberd Lane residents describe as muddy flooding, the likes of which they’ve never seen before.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cMy backyard has been flooded incessantly for the past two weeks. I never had problems like this before,\u201d said John Tuttle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he\u2019s had to deal with up to six inches of water in his basement and, while the Town has been out to speak to him about the issue and representatives for the developer have assured him that his property would be looked after, it could’ve been avoided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean they\u2019ve stripped all the organic, they\u2019ve stripped all of the trees, they\u2019ve stripped everything so all we\u2019re getting is just a torrential mudslide,\u201d he said on Thursday, July 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuttle did give credit to the Town as well as the developer for responding quickly. \u201cThey have responded in a timely fashion. They have come to the table with a plan to fix this problem\u2026 but at the same time, this could\u2019ve all been avoided if they would\u2019ve put the proper drainage in place ahead of time. I get that we\u2019ve had a lot of rain and that\u2019s what everybody is going to say\u2026 but you have to plan for that hundred-year storm,\u201d he said. \u201cThey came and clear-cut this in March and we\u2019ve had nothing but water problems ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuttle said he loves Huntsville but it\u2019s starting to lose its charm. \u201cEverywhere you look forests are coming down\u2026 the town\u2019s being swallowed up by development and I get it needs to happen, I get that, but this is more than I ever expected\u2026 All I need them to do is solve this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mandy Bailey also lives on Hibberd Lane and said the flooding has been bad. \u201cThere used to be a big hill behind us, so they\u2019ve leveled out the hill and now there\u2019s nothing protecting us. We\u2019re on a downhill and then [the water goes] down into the ravine and through everybody\u2019s houses and properties,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had rain before, I mean downtown Huntsville was flooded a couple of years before, so I can\u2019t attribute this to excessive rain. I\u2019ve never seen mud like this before\u2026 this can really affect a lot of things,\u201d said Bailey, adding that she\u2019s concerned for her dug well \u201cbecause our well is in the backyard, and everything is just flushed over it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheyenne Wood lives in the area, too. She said the backlands were once covered in trees which prevented erosion and helped absorb water and since the lands were cleared it has caused mud and water to come down onto all of their properties and wash away part of the lane which the residents maintain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Residents on Hibberd Lane have been experiencing flooding in their yards and on their road, and some in the basement of their homes, as a result of runoff from the site behind their properties which is being prepared for a road off Muskoka Road 3 North leading to a condominium development. The developer, his contractor, and engineer have been trying to mitigate further siltation and runoff from going onto the properties on Hibberd Lane. The amount of rainfall in a short period of time has made it challenging. (Tamara de la Vega) <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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    Huntsville Mayor Karin Terziano said municipal staff have confirmed that “the washout is coming from Devonleigh Homes and it was on account of the amount of rain that we\u2019ve had and that they don\u2019t have their stormwater management system built yet, so Devonleigh are well aware of it. They\u2019ve met onsite with the homeowners, and they are absolutely going to make everything right.” Terziano added that the Town\u2019s engineer is working with the developer’s engineer to see what they can do to mitigate any further damage if the area gets more rain before the stormwater system is in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The developer, Andrew Kidd, said they have been focused on trying to mitigate runoff. \u201cYou can appreciate until the site is developed and until, you know, such things as storm sewers are fully constructed\u2026 there\u2019s kind of an in-between period where you have to manage these sort of things and we\u2019ve been doing exactly that,\u201d he said, adding that with the excessive rain that the area has had, it\u2019s been a challenge but they\u2019re \u201claser-focused\u201d on mitigating the situation to get it under control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThere\u2019s an existing storm pond for the development already there and it\u2019s sized for the development and so it\u2019s just a matter of diverting and making sure we have check dams in place. Just on the topography of that land, there\u2019s no question that Hibberd Lane is on the low side, so I would imagine that whether that property was developed or not when you consider the amount of unbelievable, excessive, aggressive rain that we\u2019ve had\u2026 I mean there\u2019s flooding all over Muskoka,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cwe are not going anywhere, we are working to get this under control. It\u2019s hard to do\u2026 you think you have it under control and then you get a flash flood where you get two inches of rain in an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In terms of damage to properties, he said \u201cthose are issues that we\u2019ll work through on an individual basis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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