Each time a few snow flakes fall in Vernon, the issue of snowplowing or shoveling comes to the forefront (Jan. 15 - Morning Star - Nick Jordan).
The downside is that the snowplows turn snow, gravel, dirt and silt into the drainage ditches. Along with other debris over 25 years and more, the ditches fail.
Water from melting or excessive rainfall is blocked and cannot flow through the ditches. It simply accumulates, raising the water table and possibly flooding out the B.C. Hydro, Telus and Shaw junction boxes supplying our houses with electricity and communication wires.
Once water reaches the inside of the junction boxes, it is susceptible to overflowing into the service conduits leading to our houses. Under pressure, it will back up into the wall cavity of the house, and if excessive, will overflow draining down onto the interior electrical panel, corroding out the circuit breakers, flooding basement floors and endangering a fire.
Last year's 2015 thaw cost my family more than $6,000 to date and I continue to experience a stalemate with the City of Vernon over addressing the failed drainage ditches on my street.
When will the City of Vernon man up to the damage done and put forward the effort to solve the problem? Neglect is not an answer.
Bill Carr
Vernon