The stacks of snow are creating water woes in Calgary especially in communities with blocked storm drains.
Many Calgarians are worried the warmer temperatures mean the puddle problems will only grow over the next few days.
Some residents have tried; but failed to chip through the iced over drains but the City of Calgary is asking people not to do that so they don’t damage the storm drains or hurt themselves.
Peter Fuller has called the city three times about the mess on his street and hopes the city acts soon saying the puddles are crossing the only road to access his Country Hills neighbourhood.
“I just wish the city would come and do something, and I know they've got hundreds of these to deal with and I'm no different than anybody else but does it really take a week to come and deal with this?” asked Fuller.
Others worry the blocked storm drains are turning those street and sidewalk pools into a safety risk.
"Especially when we have kids and we have dog and they want to walk across the street here. Even walking to my mailbox is not that convenient,” says Hui Hui Zhang. “I think if possible the city needs to do something for us.”
Fuller also hopes the city acts soon.
“I mean this has been like this for a week now, and nobody has come out to deal with it,” says Fuller. “They were actually driving up on the sidewalk to avoid the water.”
Of the 60,000 storm drains in the City of Calgary, 2,000 are considered priority and crews have attended more than 75% of those.
The city is also dealing with more than 1,100 service requests that have come through 311 over the past few days.
The city says normally it takes up to five days to respond but says during the heavy snow melt it may take longer.
It also recommends home owners check their sump pumps, if they have one, to make sure it’s working.
The city also asks drivers to avoid going through deep puddles, if possible, because you can’t see potential hazards.
