en.Wedoany.com Reported - The city of Laval, Canada, is installing giant water pipes with a diameter of 2.4 meters on Marc Street in the Vimont district. These pipes are six times larger than existing underground pipes. Combined with measures such as sponge parks, they can store an amount of water equivalent to that of seven Olympic-sized swimming pools during heavy rainstorms.
Last Saturday, Laval was hit by heavy rain, with rainfall ranging from 70 mm to 150 mm within a few hours, but no private homes were flooded. In contrast, hundreds of homes were flooded in the western end and south shore areas of Montreal due to sudden downpours.
Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer noted that the flood on August 9, 2024, had submerged 13,000 homes. In the Vimont district, where the giant underground pipes are being installed, 1,100 homes will be protected from flood risks. Boyer stated that urban infrastructure was designed to handle 100 mm of rainfall, but the rainfall in August 2024 reached 170 mm, an amount that could not have been anticipated when the streets were built between the 1960s and 1980s.
These 2.4-meter diameter pipes are the largest ever installed in Laval. They can be used both for water conveyance and as temporary underground reservoirs during heavy rainstorms.
Laval, the third-largest city in Quebec, plans to invest CAD 102 million this year in drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater management infrastructure. The Quebec government will cover nearly two-thirds of this cost, amounting to CAD 65 million. Additionally, Laval has secured CAD 21.3 million in funding through the OASIS program to accelerate the deployment of green infrastructure over the next three years to better manage stormwater. This includes vegetated curb extensions, planting pits, or bioretention areas, which can directly intercept some rainwater underground, reducing pressure on the combined sewer system while also helping to mitigate the heat island effect.
Boyer stated that the city collects only 7% of Quebec's taxes but is responsible for maintaining 60% of the infrastructure, hence the need for government financial support. Quebec's Minister of Environment, Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Pascale Déry, considers water infrastructure a shared responsibility among all levels of government and revealed that her own home has been flooded twice in recent years.
Quebec is helping homeowners adapt to climate disasters through the Rénoclimat program, which has received a CAD 425 million increase in funding. This can be used for retrofits such as installing check valves and sump pumps. Boyer pointed out that private insurance companies should also continue to play a role, as homeowners pay high costs for home insurance.
Laval is allocating 75% of its investment to maintaining existing municipal assets and 25% to new projects. The priority of water supply network projects is based on technical analysis, including pipe condition, network capacity requirements, break history, and risks related to extreme weather. This year, Laval will renovate approximately 40 km of pipes across nearly 100 road sections, involving 25 km of sewer pipes and 16 km of water mains.
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