Pierrefonds residents flooded twice in two years; city offers no solutions, only individual workarounds

Jeff Cooper's Pierrefonds home flooded on August 9, 2024, and again on June 20, 2026. Now he's spending $30,000 to install an underground retention basin, backup pumps and a permanent generator — trying to solve a neighbourhood-wide problem on his own dime.

Cooper believes the flooding stems from runoff flowing downhill from properties behind his home. During major rainfalls, ground becomes saturated before water rises through yards and into homes on Aragon Street. Other residents have already installed backflow valves and backup pumps, but none of these measures have stopped the flooding. Victor Knowlton, who has lived in the neighbourhood for 49 years, regularly clears street drains himself and thinks the city should be doing basic maintenance. Joseph Fung, who moved in just over a year ago, said the June flood has left him anxious every time it rains, checking outside repeatedly to monitor water movement toward his home.

Fung said residents want the city to investigate the cause rather than leaving homeowners to find individual solutions. But no such investigation has been announced.

An infrastructure expert warns the problem may be more complex than clogged drains. Jean-Luc Martel, a professor in the construction engineering department at École de technologie supérieure, said clogged grates can contribute to localized flooding but are unlikely to explain widespread flooding during extreme rainfall. Municipal sewer systems designed in the '70s and '80s were built for a different rainfall capacity than what climate patterns now deliver, he said. A single backyard retention basin won't solve a neighbourhood-wide problem, he cautioned.

Cooper's experience has also affected his insurance. After making two water-related claims, he can no longer find an insurer willing to provide water coverage.