Stormwater Management Facilities
The name is quite a mouthful, but stormwater management facilities have a simple purpose: they gather rainfall and surface water runoff to help reduce the possibility of flooding and property damage. Through a combination of landscape and structural features, stormwater management facilities slow and filter runoff after a rainfall. The water that accumulates in stormwater ponds and wetlands is released gradually back into the natural watercourses avoiding erosion and downstream flooding.
In addition, the stormwater ponds and wetlands are an attractive feature. In many neighbourhoods stormwater management facilities are surrounded by natural vegetation and provide habitat for birds and animals.
Stormwater ponds and wetlands differ from natural ponds and wetlands in being man-made. They are specifically designed to collect runoff from streets, the ground surface and storm sewers.
How does the storm sewer system impact water quality?
The storm sewer system takes water from our roads and properties to a
stormwater management facility for treatment or directly to an open watercourse,
such as the Thames River. We must be conscious of the quality of the water
in the storm sewer system since what we put down the storm drain may end up in a
natural watercourse.
We can all help out by taking the following actions:
- Do not pour anything down the road drain that you would not want to put
directly into a river or stream!
- Harmful liquids should be disposed of as
Household Special Waste.
- Use eco-friendly cleansers to wash your car.
- Limit the use of pesticides on your lawn.
- Ensure your vehicle is not leaking oil.
- Pick up animal wastes.
- Look for signs of other contaminants that may end up leaking into the
storm sewer.
Climate Change Studies
- Updated rainfall intensity duration frequency curves for the city of
London under the changing climate January 2010
(pdf)
- Vulnerability of Infrastructure to Climate Change April 2011
(pdf)