More water woes for Kelowna, this time in the McKenzie Road and Swainson Road area.

Residents say McKenzie was a torrent of water Thursday night during heavy rainfall.

Collen Reich tells Castanet: "I went to work at four and came home at midnight, and this side of the road was a torrent pouring down the road and washing out the road on both sides. It was just horrendous."

Simon Grant lives just up the hill and says he's been living in the area for 20 years.

"The road is undermined and washed out. The water is flooding residential properties, and the fix is all going to be on the taxpayers' dime," he said Friday.

Grant says the flooding happens every year.

Reich says she tried to help her neighbour before leaving for work, to no avail. She then called the city.

Friday, city crews were on scene making repairs and cleaning culverts, which got the water running back into a creek that runs alongside the road.

"It looks like they accomplished a lot. They cleaned out the culvert, but we want the city to put in a bigger culvert because it can't handle it when there's a big surge of water."    

Pavement in front of Reich's house, where the culvert runs, is visibly buckling.

City crews tell Castanet they have been busy trying to get ahead of damage being caused by snowmelt and now heavy rains. Every time they get a handle on one situation, something else pops up.

Alan Newcombe, divisional director of infrastructure with the city, says localized basement flooding some are experiencing is the result of high groundwater or isolated snowmelt incidents.

The city reminds property owners they are responsible for protecting their properties, and anyone who has experienced seepage in past should prepare accordingly.
 
Crews are conducting mapping and mitigation work, and he indicated that water levels in local creeks are not a concern at this time.
 
“We are monitoring all the flood factors closely with provincial departments,” said Newcombe. “As the situation becomes clearer in the days and weeks ahead, we will make sure residents are well informed and, if needed, provided with resources to protect their private property.”