To help offset the millions the city and province pay each year in flood damage, the two levels of government have come together to subsidize the purchase and installation of sump pumps and backwater valves for homeowners.
Speaking at B.A. Robinson — The Pump Shop in St. James Tuesday, Premier Greg Selinger and Mayor Sam Katz revealed the deals of the incentives.
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The subsidy program will pay up to 60 percent of the cost of installing a sewer or drainage backup system up to $3,000 per household. Up to $1,000 will be available to install an approved in-line backwater valve and up to $2,000 toward the installation of a sump pump and pit drainage system.
The $1 million program will be retroactive to May 1, 2010.
Homeowners within Winnipeg are required to hire a licensed plumber, ensure the proper permits are obtained and arrange an inspection of the work. New homes are excluded from the program, as they already have the systems installed under the building code.
Municipalities throughout Manitoba will be in talks with the provincial government about a similar cost-sharing program.
The City of Winnipeg announced earlier this morning it plans on raising 15 kilometres of primary dikes and filling three million sandbags based on river levels of 25 feet at James Avenue. About 700 properties would be protected by the dikes.
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