Why is the DVP flooding nearly every time it rains?

[alexd]

This seems to be a new thing. I don't remember the Don Valley Parkway flooding this regularly before. In fact, I don't remember it flooding at all until recently.

What have they done to make it overflow all the time these days? Blocked the mouth of the Don River with condos or something?

 

[Re: Shoe]

All those backwater valves installed on homes in Riverdale means the water ends up on the DVP instead of in people's basements.

[actually I have no idea]

 

[gak]

A lot of our infrastructure is not designed for extreme weather events that are becoming more common due to climate change.

 

[Rage]

A lot of our infrastructure is not designed for extreme weather events that are becoming more common due to climate change.

I'd stretch that to globally, not just here. Scary.

 

[alexd]

I know the city has told everyone to disconnect their downspouts from the storm sewers. I did that a few years ago, but now all that water is just pouring onto the streets which seems to be the same thing to me... At least on Greenwood, you can see everyone's downspout water just flowing onto the road where it goes down the storm sewer grates.

 

[Sal De Ban]

Stop blaming every little thing on climate change. No wonder there are so many deniers.

 

[glych t.anomaly]

Physicist Offers $10,000 To Anyone Who Can Disprove Climate Change | ThinkProgress

those deniers are cunts.

please let them actually disprove it and win $10,000, otherwise they can choke on the sand and mud in the don valley.

 

[Sal De Ban]

those deniers are cunts.

I know. I agree. But so are the people that blame heat waves, thunderstorms, bake sales, etc on climate change.

 

[The Truth]

I had a blackout for one hour last night because of the storm...not so bad as the one two weeks ago that lasted for 6 hours

 

[praktik]

I know. I agree. But so are the people that blame heat waves, thunderstorms, bake sales, etc on climate change.

Now you can't say that any one event is "because of climate change" - but you CAN very well say that climate change will introduce heightened variability and warmer temperatures will cause more intense storms.

So the issue is people talking about larger macro trends and applying it to micro events- ironically they may very well be "because of climate change" but no one will be able to prove.

Just saying, there's a kernel of truth to it. Ask our parents - they've lived through and noticed a greater variability in weather.

 

[SJN]

Isn't the area immediately surrounding a lot of the Don river officially a floodplain? Maybe the southernmost stretch of the DVP is flooding because of where its located.

 

[ScottBentley]

God is punishing us for hosting World Pride.

 

[Lojack]

It's the infrastructure, plain and simple. It has exceeded its capacity and this is obvious when flash flooding occurs. Did it happen 10, 15, 20 (etc) years ago when there were significantly less people using the same resources? Nope. The frequency of weather events may be changing but it is the underlying infrastructure that is the problem. Too bad politicians insist on spending our tax dollars on sexy projects rather than critical ones.

 

[praktik]

And too bad our yuppie parents rewarded politicians promising tax cuts instead of investment for the future.

Better they get their cottages and nice cars than paying a dime extra in taxes, amirite??

 

[alexd]

Maybe they have to dredge out the Keating Channel or something because every time I bike over the Don on the Martin Goodman trail these days I notice the river is really high by default.

It seems like all it would take is a few trees jamming up under the Gerrard, Dundas, or Queen St bridges to put the river over the banks and flowing into the Riverside district... That would be a nightmare for businesses and residents down there.

 

[zedtech]

"Why does the Don Valley Parkway flood: Geology, hydrology, urban development"

News - Why does the Don Valley Parkway flood: Geology, hydrology, urban development - The Weather Network

 

[DJ Vuvu Zela]

"Why does the Don Valley Parkway flood: Geology, hydrology, urban development"

News - Why does the Don Valley Parkway flood: Geology, hydrology, urban development - The Weather Network

Ya, i was just about to say that it floods because it's in a Valley.

But also there seem to be a higher frequency of extreme weather events in the lat few years, and it's logical to say that climate change is contributing to that (as it has been predicted by climatologists).

 

[Sal De Ban]

that hundred-year drought in cali is a doozey...

 

[praktik]

HBO's Watermark had some interesting segments on water history in California, of course a classic Jack movie covered same territory.

Some places weren't meant to have water, and California and that whole southwestern US is going to be in for an interesting century as the plundered aquifiers expire.

 

[alexd]

HBO's Watermark had some interesting segments on water history in California, of course a classic Jack movie covered same territory.

Some places weren't meant to have water, and California and that whole southwestern US is going to be for an interesting century as the plundered aquifiers expire.

The Americans will just suck the Great Lakes dry after that.

 

[kyfe]

We are seeing more 100 year storms ie storms anticipated to occur every 100 years, we are now seeing multiples annually so yeah there is an argument for global warming. The majority of infrastructure in the GTA was designed to handle 50 year storms.

I won't get into it because I'm not the best person to explain but it is part of my business. Some of the documentation I've read has speculated a 10 ft increase in water levels in some areas, needless to say if this does happen there will be a few places under water and may never return.

I'm sure Colridge will be in here soon and he'd be the best person to explain.