On Monday, Dec. 11, City of North Battleford crews will be starting to clean the drainage ditch on Territorial Drive, from West Railway Avenue to Killdeer Drive. The project will affect traffic only to a minimum, as a rolling partial street closure is in place. Motorists are advised to drive with caution, as City crews are working on the shoulder of the road.
Crews will be working Monday through Friday, from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cleaning is scheduled to be completed at the end of December.
“Over time, drainage ditches fill with silt and sand, and diminish the water capacity of the ditch”, says Dan Loewen, Director of Infrastructure. “The problem is then that water is not flowing, but rather standing in the ditch, creating backpressure on our storm sewer system as well as a hazard for the public. Additionally, the water has cut a deep trench, which makes it difficult for our crews to mow the ditch in the summer.”
Starting Monday, crews will therefore dig out the soil, remove cattails, and plant grass seeds to stabilize the soil. “The ultimate goal is to have water flowing again come spring, and make it safe to mow”, says Loewen.
Jim Puffalt, City Manager, adds: “This is another example of pro-active maintenance, rather than re-active repair. In the fall, crews cleaned out the drainage ditch in Centennial Park behind North Battleford Comprehensive High School, making the water flow freely again into the Lawrence School wetland in the Park. We also worked on the drainage ditch in Kinsmen Park this year.”
To clean the ditch in Parson’s Industrial Park will be the fourth cleaning project. A start date has not been set yet.
