Palmer’s stormwater system performed well in heavy rains last Sunday

The good news about last Sunday’s heavy rains in Palmer is that the city’s stormwater drainage system performed well, Jude Bilafer, Palmer’s public works director, told the city council Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Palmer’s wastewater and sewage system also held up thanks to the diligence of its operators, Bilafer said. At no time did the heavy rain cause the system to go out of compliance with permits, he said.

There was water along streets and intersections in Palmer but the main problem was drivers ignoring caution signs and trying to plow through the water at high speeds.

Not only did that create huge “rooster tails” of spray water, an annoyance to anyone nearby, but several vehicles bogged down as they plowed into waters a foot or more deep, Bilafer said. Tow trucks were called to the rescue.

“In a heavy rain event like this people just need to slow down,” he said.

The rain was heavy, about an inch-and-a-half in six hours, but in itself not unusual, interim city manager John Diumenti told the council. What was unusual is that it came in January when the ground was frozen so that water could not be absorbed into the soil, which left it accumulating on the surface, he said.

All of the city’s stormwater drains performed except one on Eagle Avenue where freezing had created a blockage, Bilafer said. The city plans repairs to correct that.

Standing water did accumulate fast, however.

“I drove by the intersection of Chugach and Fireweed streets at 8:30 a.m. (Sunday) and there was no water. I came back at 11:30 a.m. and there was a foot of water,” he said.

What aggravated the accumulation of water was heavy runoff from the Glenn Highway and Palmer-Wasilla Highway. The state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, or DOTPF, has construction underway, “so the timing is good to have a conversation with the DOTPF about design changes,” he said.

“Their design created problems with runoff,” of water, he said.