City moving to low impact practices
Stormwater management used to be all about the destination, but it’s becoming more about the journey when it comes to future development, infrastructure planning manager Bruno Bianco told city councillors Monday.
He was outlining low impact development (LID) practices, a more holistic approach to stormwater management the province will be expecting municipalities to practice through the Places to Grow Act, for example.
It’s about treating surface water as much as possible where it lands, instead of just piping it off to somewhere else, Bianco said, showing examples of how vegetation is being used to create swales in new developments.
Councillors approved a recommendation to incorporate some LID practices into its engineering design standards – something municipalities will be doing even more of when they get more guidelines from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
“I think it is something that is going to be a part of our day-today business in the near future,” Bianco said, explaining how it is about a big-picture approach that includes examining impacts beyond the city limits. “Water really knows no boundaries.”
The city is waiting to hear from the ministry and other municipalities on further changes to its draft LID manual before further revising its standards. Staff also plan on investigating the city’s current infrastructure to see how LID could be implemented.
Ashburnham Coun. Keith Riel asked why the city was “late to the party” on the practices, but Bianco pointed out that further guidelines are sought.
“We are still in the learning process. If we are going to do it, we want to do it right the first time,” he said.
The intent is not to replace mechanical engineering with bioengineering, Bianco said, adding that “they will actually work together in harmony.”
Otonabee Coun. Dan McWilliams asked if other municipalities upstream were revising their standards at the same. Bianco said everyone is communicating and that surrounding townships have agreed to join the city at the table to discuss watershed planning.