(Retention pond at Farmstead Drive and Whitlock Avenue)
Milton’s Town Council has passed a motion regarding local stormwater management ponds.
The motion is for a number of things, including allowing for more signage to be placed around these ponds to better alert residents of the dangers, as well as continuing to monitor the ponds year-round for prohibited recreational use. You can read the specific motion here.
This comes months after a young boy in Milton drowned in the pond near Reece Court.
The motion was brought forward by Regional Councillor for Ward 4 Zeeshan Hamid and Town Councillor for Ward 4 Sameera Ali. Councillor Hamid says more people need to be aware of what can happen on these ponds.
Earlier this year, the Town of Milton joined forces with other municipalities and organizations, such as the Milton Fire Department, to launch an ice-safety campaign.
During the meeting, an idea was proposed by Councillors Ali and Hamid to possibly install life saving equipment at local ponds. Milton Fire Chief Peter Gatto was on the Zoom call for the meeting, and wasn’t a fan of the idea. He says installing that kind of equipment could put bystanders at-risk.
He stresses that the best thing any untrained resident could do in these kinds of situations is to call for emergency services and direct them towards the person in the water.
While we are officially into spring, it’s important to keep the winter water safety tips in mind for next winter:
- Keep family members and pets away from all bodies of water;
- Don’t follow pets or people on the ice or attempt to rescue – call 911 for assistance;
- Avoid recreational activities in or around waterways and check with your local municipality for alternative outdoor skating opportunities.
Remember that water retention/stormwater management ponds are dangerous. They bring dangerous hazards to ice-skating as there could be pollution (such as shopping carts) that heat up the water in sunlight, causing the ice to melt. With the retention ponds being so close to the roads, there’s a chemical issue with road salt that affects the thickness of the ice. There’s even moving water underneath the ice that could lead to the ice being thinner than you expect, and uneven across the surface.
Be smart, stay safe.
