Rocky View County crews fight to keep floods in check after heavy snowfalls

Record amounts of snow have fallen in southern Alberta this year, and as it piles up in the fields and ditches around Calgary, it'skeeping the crews of Rocky View County busy.

Crews are working to keep spring flooding in check along hundreds of kilometres of rural roads and within dozens of hamlets, subdivisions and industrial areas.

"A culvert is open and flowing today, yet it refreezes tonight and we're back out there again tomorrow," saidcounty roads maintenance supervisor StevenHulsman.

Hulsman said the biggest thing isn't the amount of snow on the ground, but the fact that a lot of it hasn't melted yet.

"We've been out there proactively clearing all of our catch basins if the weather continues, you'll start to see those flows," he said.

When ice plugs a culvert, it can cause a road to flood, so crews have to use steam and hand tools to keep the pipes clear.

The crews are responsible for 10,000 culvertsacross the million-acre county.

Crews have had to clearthousands of drains and removesnow from rural ditches proactively before the weather warms up.

"We've tried many things to move that snow where there's just too much," Hulsman said.

Thursday's snowfall will likely contribute to the problem, but Hulsman said he expects the county's culverts and pipes to handle much of the melt. He also said heexpects the gradual warming trend over the next few weeks to help clear the ice and snow.

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