IBC launches rain barrel study in PEI, aiming to reduce water damage

Insurance Bureau of Canada has launched the first Atlantic Region study of rain barrel use to avoid water damage, after a similar project earlier this year in Ontario.

Beginning Sept. 7, in Stratford, PEI, IBC is providing 1,000 homes with rain barrels to assess their impact on relieving stress of water systems and keeping basements dry.

Water damage is a major problem in PEI, where aging municipal sanitary and storm sewers can become overloaded during intense storms. Changing weather patterns are also creating increasing amounts of rainfall.

In Canada, water damage claims total $1.7 billion annually, surpassing fire as the leading cause of damage to homes.

IBC’s first rain barrel study involved 1,000 homes in Wingham, Ont. Out of those homes, 72% of downspouts were disconnected from the storm and sanitary sewer system, which provided relief to the town’s system, according to IBC’s results released in June.

During that study, IBC found that residents didn’t like emptying their barrels. For the current PEI study, a slow-release drain valve will allow the barrels to empty on their own over 24 hours.