West Nipissing council got an earful from an angry resident of Verner claiming the municipality’s actions have created an erosion problem on her property that could damage her home and the garage of her neighbour.
At issue is a ditch on the Bazinet property at 909 Betty Road that Linda Bazinet claims the municipality made deeper so it could install a large culvert to catch and drain surface water.
Bazinet told council the problem with the culvert was that it increased the volume and speed of water draining into the ditch.
She says in May her neighbour discovered that a 5 by 40-foot section of grass had collapsed into the ditch and an engineer told the homeowners that the collapse was the result of erosion because too much water was passing through the ditch.
Bazinet told council that the engineer explained that the water flow had to be slowed down to stabilize the ditch.
It’s about this time that Linda Bazinet and her husband Denis learned the municipality had no right to drain the water onto their property.
She told council that before the ditch was deepened, there was never an issue with the stability question.
A series of letters was sent to the municipality which ended in a visit to the Bazinet property by staff and engineers who said the solution was to install a municipal drain with the cost to be shared by the residents.
The residents would also have to pay for any damages.
Bazinet told council there’s no way she or her neighbours should have to pay for a municipal drain because the municipality caused the problem and damage in the first place.
Bazinet also told council she was surprised to learn staff recently brought the matter before council without telling the homeowners this was going to be debated at council and that council voted to install a municipal drain and bill the homeowners.
She wants council to re-visit this vote.
Bazinet says the municipality did not inspect the ditch to ensure it could handle the flow even after it made the ditch deeper in order to increase the volume and speed of the water.
She accused the municipality of negligence in that instance.
Bazinet made it clear to council she and her neighbours don’t oppose installing a drain if the municipality maintains and repairs it.
What she does oppose is the homeowners having to foot the bill.
She warned council that the homeowners may have to sue if the matter isn’t rectified in their favour.
In response, Mayor Joanne Savage said that after receiving this information, council would address the issue at its December 3rd Committee of the Whole meeting.
Councillor Lise Senecal suggested council should get an independent report on the matter from a third party who is not an employee of the municipality.
However, Savage did not take Senecal up on her suggestion.
Rather the Mayor said the entire matter would come up for debate at the December 3rd meeting.
A major concern Bazinet has is what happens to the immediate properties next spring when the snow melts and the volume and speed of the water in the ditch increases further.
She’s concerned that further erosion will occur and will result in more damage if action isn’t taken.