The City of Windsor will be receiving provincial funding to help alleviate flooding.
The Ontario government is investing $271,000 in Windsor to support the implementation of the Sewer and Coastal Flood Protection Master Plan (SMP).
This funding will help the city take steps to reduce the risk of basement flooding and protect local neighbourhoods.
This money will be used to seal sanitary maintenance hole covers through the installation of rain catchers. As part of the sealing project, around 1,000 rain catchers will be installed city-wide in low-lying, high-risk areas.
These devices aim to prevent stormwater from entering the sanitary sewer system, reducing the likelihood of flooding, sewer overflows, and treatment plant bypasses.
Ian Wilson, the city's stormwater and wastewater engineer, says this is a city wide approach.
"An analysis was done looking at high-risk areas, generally low-lying sanitary sewer maintenance holes, and those are the locations that we prioritized to install the rain catcher devices which will reduce significantly the amount of stormwater that enters the sanitary system."
He says residents won't even know the rain catchers are under the maintenance hole covers.
"What we do is we open that lid, we take it off, and then underneath it there's a dish that's precision made, made of plastic, that basically fits underneath that lid which has to have some holes in it so we can open that lid. And then we put this dish or rain catcher underneath the sanitary sewer lid."
Wilson says this is a step in the right direction to reducing flood risks.
"These rain catcher devices are a key component, but the solution to reducing flooding risk is multifaceted. But this is considered a key component, it's cost effective, it's practical, and it's something we can do quickly."
Approximately half of the 1,000 rain catchers have already been installed with the city hoping to have all of them installed by spring 2026.
The city is also contributing approximately $96,000 toward this project.
This project is part of the province's $7.3-million investment to improve local waterways and to strengthen infrastructure.
This work is part of the City of Windsor's broader Sewer Master Plan. So far, the city has committed $419-million, with nearly $100-million already invested.