Guelph-Eramosa Mayor Chris White says a new report lays the blame for last week’s flash flood on Harris Street here squarely on a nearby developer.
The report, from township engineers R.J. Burnside and Associates, is expected to be released to the public late this week.
White says the document outlines why Charleston Homes is responsible for the Jan. 13 flooding of up to eight Rockwood homes after a stormwater storage pond burst, sending a huge amount of water, mud and rocks across Harris Street and damaging several nearby homes and yards.
“The net of it is, from our perspective, this pond was built without due process,” White said.
He explained Charleston never got proper approval for a temporary storage pond on the site, which he says was installed improperly next to an existing pond that had been assumed by the township.
“They took the side off our pond, which we believe caused it to breach,” White told the Advertiser.
That led to the eventual collapse of the smaller, temporary Charleston pond because it was not pumped properly, the mayor added.
White said the township was meeting with Charleston Homes and would use the report to compel the developer to pay for all damages that resulted from the flood.
“If they won’t do that, if they still want to debate this, then we’re going to start it ourselves,” White said of the clean up and repairs to nearby properties.
“We’ll go in and fix things and bill them.”
Residents affected by the flooding met on Jan. 17 to discuss the matter. They have grown increasingly impatient, as repairs have been put on hold until it is determined who is responsible.
Some residents say they were initially led to believe Charleston was going to cover the damage through an insurance claim, but as days wore on, there was no progress or update on that suggestion.
“There’s definitely frustration there … we’re all kind of stuck in this,” said resident Barry Peters, who wonders if repairs are even possible on his property now given the weather.
“The driveway and garage are unusable,” Peters added.
He said he has not heard anything new since the residents’ meeting last week and has been unable to arrange a site visit with a Charleston adjustor.
