Windsor embarks on $4.9B flood prevention plan
The City of Windsor has approved a $4.9-billion plan to help reduce flooding.
The Sewer and Coastal Flood Protection Master Plan, which seeks to lower the risk and impact of basement and surface flooding, was passed by councillors during a virtual meeting July 27. It seeks to make upgrades in all wards.
Over the past 10 years, Windsor has seen significant rain that has severely damaged homes. Storms in 2016 and 2017 led to insured losses totalling $300 million, according to a report to council.
Two days of heavy rainfall in August 2017 flooded 6,000 basements across the city and is known as the largest flood in the city’s history, the CBC reported.
RELATED READING: A decade of weather events in Windsor-Essex
The multi-generational plan, approved on Monday during a virtual meeting, makes changes across the city over the coming decades to reduce flooding and its impact on residents, the CBC reported.
Hardest hit areas
Council gave the greenlight for spending $1.5 million for immediate projects, targeting the hardest hit areas.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said he was excited that a master sewer plan was coming to council to better equip the city with flooding prevention measures. The solutions recommended in the master plan focus on both public and private improvements from changing the city's sewer system and bettering coastal flood protection to infrastructure changes that homeowners can implement.
In the fall, the plan will undergo a 30-day review and then seek a final financial approval.
"This plan talks about the comprehensive way forward, how to deal with all the challenges we know exist," Dilkens said during the meeting, according to CBC.
The city's senior engineer Anna Godo, who authored the reports that went to council, said “It’s important for the public to know that we’ve heard their concerns. We've reacted to the problems that came up when we had some significant extreme rainfall events over the last few years and we're trying to provide them with information as to how they can reduce their risk."
With the effects of climate change being more keenly felt, many homeowners in cities beyond Windsor are struggling with the effects of extreme rain and flooding.
“Much of the sewer infrastructure in Canada is getting older,” reports the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. “Many communities have had problems with cracked underground sewer pipes, which allow a constant flow of groundwater into the system; a situation that can reduce the ability of the system to handle heavy rainfall. Further, climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall events. That means that the heavy rainfalls of the past will occur more often in the future, causing more flood events.”
As a result, from the insurance perspective, it is important homeowners understand the different types of coverage available to them. They are:
Overland Flooding – Coverage for water damage caused by overflow of a lake or river, heavy rain or rapid snowmelt that enters your home from a point at or above ground level.
Sewer Backup – When water backs up and flows into your home from your municipal sewer system, private septic system or through sump pump failure. This water is a health hazard.
Groundwater Protection – An optional coverage for some homeowner’s policies that offers protection for events when ground water enters your home suddenly and accidentally through basement walls, foundation or floors.
Be sure to talk to your broker about what types of water damage are covered under your home insurance policy and the coverage limits available.
RELATED READING: Property loss and your mental health