Sep 02, 2008 - 11:20 AM

By Reka Szekely

DURHAM -- There's no easy solution to the problem that caused more than 100 basement floods in August, says Durham Region staff.

At least 107 homes were flooded after torrential rains Aug. 11 caused the sewer system to back up. The damaged homes were mainly located on three streets, Lawrie Road in Ajax and Annes Street and Walton Boulevard in Whitby. Several homes were flooded in Oshawa as well, but there wasn't a concentration of flooded homes as there was in the other municipalities.

"The ones in Oshawa were more sporadic, you know like one home getting flooded on one street," said John Presta, director of environmental services for Durham.

Mr. Presta said there's no easy solution to preventing future floods. The Region believes that somewhere in the large system, there are cross connections between the sewer and storm water systems. Storm water is getting into the sewers and overloading pumping stations during heavy rains.

In the past, the Region has worked to disconnect such cross-connections. This time the works department will look further upstream.

"We're going to be proposing to do additional field investigations to try to find as many as we can," Mr. Presta said.

As well, there will be an information report to the works committee when council reconvenes this September.

While Lawrie Road residents have come up with some theories as to why their neighbourhoods were flooded, Mr. Presta dismissed a common one: that it was caused by the construction of a new water treatment plant at the foot of the road.

He said Region staff were monitoring the water flow around the plant during the storm and there were no constraints.

But whatever it is, residents want answers and they want solutions, quickly.

"I am looking to the Region and to the Town (of Ajax) to provide me with a solution that I can use to protect my own home, my residence, until the larger problem is solved," said Lawrie Road resident Victoria Derusha.

Ms. Derusha said the flood has consumed her life for the last two weeks. She's talking to engineers and Ajax and Region employees.

"I spend all my time on the phone right now. I'm working with my insurance company, I'm trying to get quotations for the goods we lost," she said, adding with hail and flood damage in several areas and a propane explosion in Toronto, insurance companies are backlogged this summer.

So far, she's disinfected her basement, but like most of her neighbours, hasn't begun the reconstruction.

"All the garbage is mostly out of our houses, but I haven't seen one person who's been rebuilding yet."

As to what residents can do to protect themselves, Mr. Presta said the Region will not be recommending that they install backflow protection devices, which can block sewer flow. If they're not installed properly and maintained, the groundwater pressure could build up and crack a home's foundation.

It could also shift the problem to another neighbourhood.

Ms. Derusha said she and her neighbours will be paying close attention to what the municipal governments do. Meanwhile, the cleanup continues.

"I'm considering decorating in Rubbermaid .... whatever we put down there has to be able to endure the next flood when it comes."