Thunder Bay residents fret over more water
Rain pools in low-lying area in Intercity; city closes road to pump out water
A section of Fort William Road was closed for a few hours on Thursday while city of Thunder Bay workers pumped water from a grassy area between several homes.
After a heavy morning rainfall, the city reported it started getting calls from residents because they were concerned water was rising on the ground.
First Avenue resident Susan Smolander lives in the area where the water was pooling. After having had her basement flooded during a torrential rainstorm in May, she was afraid Thursday’s rainfall would cause more flooding.
"I rushed home, because I was out for the night," Smolander said. "The first thing I did [was] I went downstairs to check my basement. I was hoping there was no water down there. And there is no water."
There have been no reports of flooding in people's basements, according to Gerald Luty, a Thunder Bay sewer and water supervisor.
He said pumping out the water from the Intercity area was a precautionary measure because the area is low-lying.
The water was pumped from the grass — through a hose laid across Fort William road — into a ditch. From there the water was expected to flow into Lake Superior.
Fort William Road was closed between First and Second Avenues.