After the flooding that took over parts of Highway 5 this past summer, many people will be relieved to know that a newly installed culvert will divert some of that water.
The culvert is part of a government initiative to restore proper water drainage.
"When the highways were built, the standards were different than they are now. We don't alter (water drainage) now, but we used to then," said Doug Wakabayashi, assistant director of communications for the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure. "Now we're trying to restore the natural flow of drainage, which will impact that piece of land."
Now the government is installing culverts and restoring proper water flow in areas all over the province. The piece of land in question is the parcel west of the junction next to Highway 2. Since the new drainage will end up flooding parts of that land, the owner is being compensated by the government and having his house moved.
"Essentially, the agreement provides compensation for damages caused by water that would flow onto that property," said Daniels. "The culvert will greatly reduce the risk of future flooding, but it doesn't entirely eliminate the risk because it has a finite capacity."
That small possibility is the one Blair Basset is concerned about, since his land is adjacent to that parcel. He farms approximately 40 acres north of the parcel.
"I think once (the culvert) is opened, the water is going to come to the north and that's where I am, but the surveyors seem to think not," he said. "I hope they know what they're talking about."
According to Basset, the land is like a basin. If it comes north, it'll be like a big slough. Should it happen to come that far, it'll go east and end up flooding the highway again. However, even Basset agrees that that'll only happen if there's an excessive amount of flooding.
Regardless, Daniels said the capacity of the culvert will greatly reduce the risk of flooding, so the chances of any of that happening are minimal for the foreseeable future.
