$19 million in federal funding for Vancouver's rainwater runoff upgrades

Mar 16 2023, 11:05 pm

With the frequency of heavy rainfall events expected to rise over the coming decades, mitigation measures for the impacts of climate change are increasingly front and centre for the City of Vancouver.

For that reason, the federal government announced today it will provide the municipal government with $18.9 million towards the City’s Rain City Strategy.

The City is also contributing $17.3 million towards the project, which represents a total investment of over $36 million between both governments.

“With the increase in flood and climate-related challenges—investing in natural infrastructure is a way for communities to use their ecosystems to improve quality of life, reduce pollution, enhance biodiversity, and build resilience to climate change,” said Vancouver Granville MP Taleeb Noormohamed in a statement.

“The Rain City Strategy is an exciting investment in natural infrastructure solutions helping to reduce carbon emissions.”

While the municipal government has emphasized an urgent need to renew and expand its aging sewer system, including separating building sanitary sewage from stormwater sewage, the new funding will go towards expanding natural infrastructure to prevent urban flooding.

This includes the use of water-absorbent landscaping, rainwater tree trenches, the restoration of wetlands and streams, and other ways that capture rainwater closer to where it falls. An ecological process also helps remove pollution from urban runoff and improve water quality.

Flooding at the intersection of Broadway and Cambie Street in Vancouver on October 12, 2017. (Alex Couillard/submitted)

st george runway vancouver f

Artistic rendering of the St. George Rainway. Final design concept. (City of Vancouver)

An example of such an upcoming project that utilizes such natural infrastructure features is the St. George Rainway in Mount Pleasant, which will run north-south along St. George Street for a length of 10 city blocks or about one km. Construction on the first segment of the rainway is expected to begin in 2023.

The recent Richards Street design changes that added an additional north-south bike lane to downtown Vancouver also included natural infrastructure features, including stormwater tree trenches and the planting of over 100 trees and planter boxes to manage water at street level.

Such street designs will help reduce rainwater runoff from hard surfaces to help reduce combined sewer overflows.

“Increasing natural infrastructure in Vancouver has numerous benefits for residents and the species we share our city with,” said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. “This investment will contribute to a more livable Vancouver, a stronger future in the face of coming climate pressures, an opportunity to grow our local green economy, and healthier waters in Still Creek, False Creek, Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River.”

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