Contact Us
Project Contact |
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Olivia Sparrow, P.Eng., ENV SP Project Manager, EOR (consultant) 20 Camden Street, Suite 200 Toronto, ON M5M 1V1 Email: osparrow@eorinc.com
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Stormwater Master Plan Class Environmental Assessment (EA) |
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Stormwater Master Plan Class Environmental Assessment (EA) What is Stormwater? Stormwater is rainwater and melted snow that runs off streets, lawns, and other portions of the landscape. Natural landscapes soak up stormwater like a sponge, nourishing plants and replenishing streams, lakes, wetlands, and aquifers. In built landscapes, impervious surfaces such as pavement and roofs prevent precipitation from naturally soaking into the ground. Instead the water is diverted to storm drains, sewer systems, drainage ditches, and ponds to protect public safety by eliminating the water before it can accumulate on roads and cause flooding. Depending upon the age of this infrastructure, stormwater runoff is discharged to downstream waterbodies, such as Lake Ontario, without treatment. Managing stormwater is important because too much stormwater can contribute to water pollution, flooding, erosion, and degradation of streams, lakes, and wetlands. What is a Stormwater Master Plan? Municipalities like Brighton create stormwater master plans so that they have a better understanding of how their infrastructure is performing. It also helps them identify issues and deficiencies in the system so that they can create a long term, cost-effective plan to provide the level of service expected from the community. The Master Plan will identify existing and anticipated issues as well as a series of solutions and projects to be implemented over the next 10 years. What is an EA and how does it relate the Stormwater Master Plan? Municipal infrastructure projects are subject to Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act and projects which are small in scale and occur frequently are generally planned using the Municipal Class EA. This Study is being conducted in accordance with the Master Plan process as outlined in the Municipal Engineers Association’s Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) (October 2000, as amended in 2007, 2011, and 2015). The Master Plan Class EA process includes public and review agency consultation, evaluation of alternatives, assessment of the potential effects on the environment, and identification of reasonable measures to mitigate any adverse effects. Master Plans are long-range plans which integrate infrastructure requirements for existing and future land use with environmental planning principles. These plans examine an infrastructure system(s) or group of related projects in order to outline a framework for planning for subsequent projects and/or developments. At a minimum, Master Plans address Phases 1 and 2 of the Municipal Class EA process. As part of the Class EA process, baseline environmental information will be collected and this information will be used along with engineering and technical information to determine what will constitute the long term plan. In addition, stakeholder and Indigenous Community consultation will be undertaken as part of project planning. Who is doing the work? The Municipality of Brighton has contracted EOR to prepare the Master Plan. EOR is a water-centric consulting firm that provides innovative and sustainable solutions for stormwater management for municipalities and conservation authorities across Canada. Included in the EOR team is Anneliese Grieve a specialist in the Ontario EA process, Bob Waldon who specializes in Indigenous consultation and Mike Gregory who will outline funding strategies to support the future infrastructure needs identified in the Master Plan. What work will be done? Through this study, the Municipality will examine alternative solutions to mitigate capacity issues in the storm sewers, stormwater management ponds, and overland flow pathways within the Brighton Urban Area. The preferred strategy for the Study Area will be determined based on engineering requirements, environmental considerations, public input, Indigenous consultation, and information gathered during the Study. The Municipality’s consulting team will conduct the study in the following tasks: Task 1: Data Collection and Review of Background Information Task 2: Storm Sewer Model Development and Capacity Analysis Task 3: Assessment of Stormwater Retention Ponds Task 4: Public Consultation Meeting and Selection of Preferred Solution Task 5: Review of Stormwater Funding Strategies Task 6: Prepare Stormwater Master Plan How do I ask questions or give comments to those working on the project? A key component of this study will be consultation with interested stakeholders (members of the community, local business owners, landowners and regulatory agencies) and Indigenous consultation regarding the preferred solutions for stormwater management issues in the Brighton Urban Area. One Public Information Centre will be held in the late summer or early fall to provide stakeholders and Indigenous communities with an opportunity to review and discuss the study approach, findings and recommendations. In addition to the Public Information Centre, the Municipality will post monthly updates to this project website that will include questions raised by stakeholders and responses if they are available. Interested stakeholders can submit questions or comments to the team at any time by contacting Municipality and consulting team using the information provided below. Lucas Kelly Project Manager, Municipality of Brighton 67 Sharp Road Brighton, ON K0K 1H0 Email: osparrow@eorinc.com
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The Final Report - Stormwater Master Plan Class EA |
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To request a copy of the Stormwater Master Plan, please contact John Gooding, Manager of Capital Infrastructure 613-475-1162, ext. 102 or by email. |