Ginter’s Meadow construction showcases stormwater maintenance issue

The pond at Ginter’s Meadow is undergoing repairs, maintenance, and cleanup, and the City of Prince George is using the work to try and educate residents in the area.

The City is looking at doing repairs and replacements on the stormwater system throughout Prince George to try and mitigate sinkholes, and prevent a repeat of what happened on Winnepeg Street back in 2018.

“So what we are doing in this first phase of public engagement is more around an educational campaign,” said Kristy Bobbie, Manager of Asset Management.

“And so with that, we have a survey that’s just out here pretty quickly. A survey as well as some informational material with lots of great pictures and just explaining what stormwater is and why we have to manage it, and why it’s so important, and how it matters to them.”

Bobbie hopes that public engagement will give them an idea of where they can educate and inform the public better on why this is such an important undertaking.

The average age of the city’s storm sewers and culverts is 40 years and most pipes are expected to last 30-80 years, depending on the materials used.

“We really need to, like I mentioned have this first phase of public engagement, which is all about showing and letting people know why stormwater management is so valuable, and the challenges that we face, and why it costs so much money, and why we need to obtain more funding and have a dedicated source,” said Bobbie.

Many options for funding this project have been brought to the table.

In a previous city council discussion, it was estimated that a tax levy for the stormwater management plan would raise taxes by about 4%.

Recommended funding options in a report to council included:

• Property tax
• Dedicated tax levy
• A flat stormwater rate
• A stormwater rate based on land use and property size
• A stormwater rate based on actual or estimated impervious area
• Water/Wastewater rate
• Development related charges and fees
• Grants

That report also suggested that the city should be spending about $9.1 million per year for stormwater management:

• $4.4 million for renewal
• $1 million for upgrades
• $185,000 for planning studies
• $3.4 million for operation and maintenance

It added that Prince George had the largest length of sewer and ditch per capita compared to other cities, with examples like Kelowna, Nanaimo, Whistler, and Kamloops.

A 330-page report said the city currently spends $1.35 per metre annually on the maintenance of its stormwater system which is less than half of the national median ($2.85/m) when compared to other Canadian cities that participate in the National Water and Wastewater Benchmarking Initiative.

The City is looking to start talks about how to fund such a large project sometime next year.