Help Prevent Flooding To Your Unit
Make sure that your eaves troughs are cleaned and maintained regularly. Leaves and other debris can clog the eaves troughs and keep them from working properly causing water to run down the wall of your home.

Ensure that the downspouts are attached and are directed away from your home, so that water can be diverted away from the foundation of the building. They should extend at least five feet from your unit, so that they can redirect water appropriately. Make certain that they do not drain towards your neighbour’s home.

To prevent water from collecting beside your house and seeping into the basement, ensure that the landscaping is graded appropriately and slopes away from the building. If the grounds are not graded properly, water can accumulate beside your home and seep through or under your basement walls.

Don’t over-water your lawn. Over-watering the lawn and the flowerbeds beside your home can cause seepage into you basement. A leak in an underground sprinkler system can do the same thing.

Condominium corporations with an underground sprinkler system, should check the system for leaks periodically and should drain it every fall before the ground freezes.

Drainage gutters should be kept clear of debris as should storm sewers. If you see a storm drain that is plugged due to debris, snow, hail or any other obstruction, please call the City of Calgary Wastewater Department at (403) 268-4910 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or (403) 268-1155 (after hours or on weekends). The city will clear the storm drain to allow proper drainage. If the sewer is on condominium property, the City may tell you that the condominium corporation will have to clear the drain.

If your unit has a sump pump in the basement, check it periodically to ensure that it is turned on and working properly.

Inspect and repair any cracks to the foundation or basement prior to the raining season. Condominium unit owners should regularly check their basement walls and report any cracks in the foundation to their Board of Directors.

The condominium corporation should schedule standard roof inspections to undertake regular maintenance and repair any breaches in the roof, or sealing around the roof vents.

Owners should ensure that their unit doors and windows are well sealed. If they are not, they should report them to the condominium manager, so that proper repairs can be done.

If your condominium’s parking lot has low spots, where water can collect during rainstorms, you may consider alternative parking on higher ground when heavy precipitation is forecasted.

Help Prevent Waste-Water and Storm Water From Backing Up Into Your Basement
Water on a flooded street can drain into sanitary drainage manholes, overload the sanitary drainage pipes, and cause flooding in basements. To avoid troublesome and costly wastewater back-ups into your unit, keep the screw cap for the basement floor drain in place except when you are draining waste-water from washing machines, water softeners, and other appliances. You can also purchase a back-flow prevention devices for basement showers, toilets, and sinks. For information about back-flow prevention devices and to get a building permit to alter the plumbing, call the City of Calgary, Development and Building Approvals, Plumbing and Gas Section, at (403) 268-5387.

It is a good idea to locate the floor drain, and the clean-out and back-flow prevention device on your sanitary drainage line in case you have to respond to a wastewater back up. If you have weeping tile, try and locate its clean-out and back-up prevention device. Weeping tile is a perforated pipe that surrounds the basement foundations and drains high groundwater into the storm-drainage system. Its back-up prevention device stops water from entering basements when the storm drainage system is overloaded. Regular inspections and maintenance are required to ensure that the devices are working properly and to avoid any problems. If you do not already know how these systems work or should be maintained you should seek the advice of a qualified professional.

If your sanitary drainage line does become clogged and backs up, do not flush a toilet or use a tap, because this will cause further flooding. If the clog is in the sanitary drainage on your property, unit owners or condominium corporations are responsible for any repairs. If the clog is on City property, they will clear the line at their cost. If you are unsure where the drainage line is clogged, call the The City of Calgary Wastewater business unit at (403) 268-4910 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or (403) 268-1155 (after hours or on weekends). If the situation is immediately threatening to you, call 911. The City will help you locate the clog and inform you whether they will clear/repair the line or if you will have to.

If you experience water in your units, you may wish to consider doing the following:

Report any flooding immediately to your condominium management, so that they can make arrangements to investigate, advise and make arrangements to minimize the damages.

Make arrangements to remove or collect any water immediately by:
    •    Use of a sump pump
    •    Use of a water/shop vacuum
    •    Use of fans/dehumidifiers to help dry the area
    •    Use of collection vessels to collect the water
    •    Mopping up the area

If you feel that the situation is immediately threatening to you or others, call 911.

If you smell natural gas in your house, exit immediately. The gas company recommends that on your way out, you leave doors open to ventilate your unit, and that you do not touch any electrical appliances or switches to avoid creating sparks. Call 911 from a neighbour’s house.

If your natural gas appliances are affected by flooding, call ATCO Gas at (403) 245-7222. If your household electrical installation or appliances are affected by flooding, call Enmax at (403) 268-2822. If water begins to accumulate on the basement floor, stay out of the basement.

If you have insurance for water damage, wastewater back up, or flooding, contact your condominium manager and make sure your Board is notified. You may want to contact your personal insurance agent or broker as soon as possible to report a claim. It is your responsibility to minimize or prevent further damage by arranging for emergency repairs and clean up. You should take the following actions as soon as possible to prepare an insurance claim.

Call your insurance agent and report the damage. Ask your agent if you should take a sample of the floodwater and if your insurance covers the costs for analyzing the sample.

Limit further damage by cleaning up and repairing the flooded property. Keep receipts to document your claims.

Photograph the damage and keep a record of any property you dispose of for health or safety reasons.

In order to reduce the risk and mitigate the damages of unwanted water in your units, put measures in place to help prevent the occurrence. However, if flooding does occur, react in a timely, appropriate and effective manner.