The city council of Windsor, ON has approved a $4.9 billion plan aimed at mitigating the severity of flooding in the region.
The Sewer and Coastal Flood Protection master plan was passed by councillors during a virtual meeting earlier this week, CBC News reported. The plan, which was approved Monday, looks to make several changes across the city over the coming decades to reduce flooding and its impact on residents.
“This plan talks about the comprehensive way forward, how to deal with all the challenges we know exist,” Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens said during the virtual meeting.
Solutions recommended by the plan focus on both public and private improvements, such as changing the city’s sewer system, enhancing coastal flood protection, as well as infrastructure changes for homeowners to follow and implement in their own properties.
“It’s important for the public to know that we’ve heard their concerns,” said city senior engineer Anna Godo. “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.”
During the meeting, the council also discussed how Windsor has experienced considerable flooding over the past decade. A report noted that storms that hit the city in 2016 and 2017 led to insured losses totalling $300 million.
Read more: Revealed: Huge insured losses for Windsor
The two-day storm that hit Windsor in August 2017 flooded 6,000 basements – the largest single flood event in the city’s history.
