The Town of Lakeshore is bringing back its backwater valve subsidy program.
The item wasn't on the agenda for the recent regular council meeting Tuesday night, but an unscheduled visit from a group of flood hit residents got councillors to take action.
The program previously covered 80% of the installation cost.
The new program is set to cover the same amount, but will also provide a subsidy for downspout disconnections.
Mayor Tom Bain says the concerned residents wanted to know what council was doing in the wake of the recent flooding.
Bain says council and administration explained the system did what it was supposed to do during the recent heavy rain, but there was just too much for it to handle.
"These people were in an looking for financial help and really looking for what's going to be done to improve the system, what can be done."
(AM800 file photo)
In addition to bringing back the backwater valve subsidy program, the town also wants to cover downspout disconnections and add an educational component.
"Setting up a type of educational program helping them to see what they can do as far as disconnecting those [downspouts] and making sure those backwater valves are maintained," says Brown. "If they're not maintained properly, they don't work properly."
The next question is whether people will take advantage of the offer.
"I believe they are," says Bain. "I have personally received phone calls from residents who have said, 'The problem has hit us, it never hit us before, I've been here 20, 30 years, never had the problem — we've got to go immediately to backwater valves.'"
More details on the return of the subsidy program are expected at council's next meeting on September 26.