Engineers to study Kelligrews River

By Craig Westcott

An engineering firm has been hired to come up with a stormwater management plan for the Kelligrews River.

Councillor-at-Large Rex Hillier welcomed the decision when it was approved at CBS council last week. The work will be done by Englobe at a cost of $77,510, including HST.

“Earlier in the year we did a rezoning process for the area along Kelligrews River and there was a significant number of residents from Red Bridge Road whose one big concern was water runoff and the impact that would have on their properties and flooding along the river,” said Hillier. “So, to see this come through this evening it’s nice to be able to make a promise and see it kept for those people who are really concerned.”

Councillor-at-large Paul Connors agreed. “Red Bridge Road over the past 10 or 15 years has had flooding issues and residents have been asking for it to be looked at,” said Connors. “And this study will help us to try to and look at solutions for the area or provide solutions – we’ll see what the report says. So, I’m very pleased to see this come through because a lot of residents have reached out and talked to me about it.”

Mayor Darrin Bent recalled standing with the area’s ward councillor, Gerard Tilley, in the back yard of a residence on Red Bridge Road one morning as the water ebbed up to their knees.

“I remember that fateful Saturday morning,” said Tilley. “On a good day, the river is probably 200 feet away. But on this particular morning on the gentleman’s property, the shed was under water. And his shed is a fair distance from the water. To echo councillor Hillier’s comments, it’s good to see that when we make a promise that we’re going to address or at least study the issue to see what’s happening in that area, and those residents are certainly going to be happy that the ball is rolling now. We look forward to getting the results back from Englobe.”

The headwaters of Kelligrews River begin at Sandy Pond and Nut Brook atop the high ground in Foxtrap. The river streams its way down through the hills emerging into public view at Sgt. Ned Nugent’s Park, crosses under Red Bridge Road and flows through the woods between Walsh’s Road and Red Bridge Road till it spills into the Kelligrews Pond barachois at the bottom of Pond Road. It once served as the source water for the CBS outdoor pool that was located in the back country below Legion Road.