City of Vancouver looking to harvest rainwater to cut water use

A pilot project looks ahead to 2020 as the city wants to cut water consumption by a third

As you get your umbrella and rain jacket ready for the next downpour, will a rain barrel be the next must-have item for Vancouver’s wet weather?

The City of Vancouver is looking into a pilot project to harvest rainwater. The intent is to reduce the amount of the water that goes to the sewers.

Bob Burgess’ company Gulf Islands Rainwater Connection has been in business for 13 years, and has seen a lot of growth in rain harvesting.

“We’ve done several projects like that, where people don’t have storm sewers at all. They might have one acre, and the land has to be able to absorb all the water, and it can’t. There would be too much water going on to a neighbour’s property.”

Vancouver is looking at installing up to 300 barrels in a neighbourhood and Burgess thinks it could make a big difference.

“The problem can be that, like we’re getting today and tomorrow, when we get a lot of rain in one day, and if the storage isn’t big enough, it’s going to start to overflow.”

The city thinks the plan could help it reach its goal of cutting water consumption by a third by 2020.

To Learn More:

To watch a video posted by City Farmer and featuring Bob Burgess, click here.