Site Launch - Tuesday November 27th 2012

Stormwater Management 

Demonstration Site Launch

Join the Ecology Action Centre, and project partners, in launching Halifax’s first stormwater retrofit demonstration site.

With changing climate conditions and heavier rainfall predicted, it is more important than ever to understand how to manage stormwater effectively.

This event is for everyone interested in learning about alternative techniques for managing stormwater on site, in order to prevent damage to properties and municipal  infrastructure, to save money and improve ecosystem health.  We hope to see you there!

    When:            Tuesday November 27th, 2012          

                     10:30 am, site tour at 11:00 am.      

    Where:           Halifax Fire Station

                     5988 University Ave. (corner of Robie St.)

   Will there     

   be Coffee?   You bet!

    

This is a rain or shine event, so bring a

jacket and hope for… rain of course!

Stormwater Demonstration Site Progresses

The work at Halifax's first Stormwater Retrofit Demonstration Site is nearly complete!  See the photos below for progress.  Photos below courtesy of Oliver Bence, Vollick Mckee Petersmann Associates, Inc.

Bioswale and two rain barrels in background

Laying new sod

Preparation for laying permeable pavers at entrance

Construction has started at Stormwater Demonstration Site at University Avenue Fire Hall

Workers broke ground last week at the Stormwater Demonstration project at the University Avenue Fire Hall.

The infiltration strip along the edge of the parking area was marked and dug.

The bioswale along the side of the building was also marked and dug using a backhoe.

The rain barrels were attached on site, though these will likely be stored for winter in a few weeks.

The permeable pavers will be going in soon near the staff entrance of the building, the next image shows the site being prepared.

Please check back for more details and photos as the project progresses!

Photos provided courtesy of Oliver Bence, Vollick McKee Petersmann Associates Ltd.

Stormwater and climate change adaptation

Climate change is expected to bring about more extreme weather events such as rain, snow, drought, heat waves and severe storms. The massive damage caused by Hurricane Sandy is a reminder that extreme weather is now a reality. Stormwater systems will be affected by the increased frequency and intensity of rainfall events. The higher volume of rainfall may exceed the capacity of stormwater entry points or cause sewer overflows, leading to infrastructure damage and impacting water quality. Stormwater systems may need to be upgraded to deal with the increased flow. There is an urgent need to understand and adapt to the many climatic changes that are expected to occur. Innovative stormwater management practices are an important part of climate change adaptation.

A recent report published by climate scientist, Dr. Gordon McBean, examines how weather patterns in Canada have changed in the past and how they are expected to change in the future. The report aims to provide decision makers with the information they need to better adapt public and private infrastructure to the realities of the changing climate. In the report, Dr. McBean states, “Both the historical and projected trends shown in the research point to the need for Canada to adapt now in order to minimize social and economic costs in the future.” Predictions made for Atlantic Canada in the report include a likely increase in hurricane and storm activity in the region with resulting storm surges. Freezing rain events will likely increase by 50 per cent in Newfoundland. Nova Scotia could see increases of about 20 per cent.

These extreme weather events have had already had huge environmental and economic impacts in Canada. In 2011, catastrophic events cost Canadian insurers roughly $1.7B and almost $1B in each of the two previous years. The majority of these insured losses were caused by extreme weather events, but smaller weather events also played a role in significant property damage for consumers (IBC). 

Climate change impacts all of us and we all have an important role in reducing the potential impacts of stormwater. Source control involves managing runoff on individual lots and relies on property owners and developers to implement practices to reduce the amount of runoff leaving a site. Installing a rain barrel, creating a rain garden, retaining green space and not using pesticides are a few small practices that will protect your home, increase the resiliency of our stormwater systems and improve our ability to adapt to climate change.

Field Trip to the Stormwater Center at the University of New Hampshire

A keen group of engineers and town planners from Nova Scotia, an environmental engineer with Halifax Water and the Ecology Action Centre's Water Coordinator recently had the pleasure of visiting one of the leading stormwater research institutions in North America.  This trip was organized and funded by Nova Scotia Environment and the Climate Change Directorate as well as Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

The University of New Hampshire’s Stormwater Center (UNHSC) located in Durham, N.H. is dedicated to the protection of water resources through effective stormwater management.  One of the ways that UNHSC does this is through conducting primary field research on various stormwater treatment systems.  These include conventional systems such as swales and ponds, LID designs such as bioretention and gravel wetlands, and manufactured systems.  The image below shows the layout of their primary research site.

This stormwater research site collects water from a 3.6 hectare parking lot in Durham.  The stormwater is captured in the distribution box at the top of the image and equal volumes are piped to the various stormwater systems being tested.  Measurements from the outflow of the treatment systems are collected and tested at the sampling gallery at the bottom of the image.

Source: University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, 2009 Biannual Report

The photos below show the various Best Management Practices (BMPs) on the site.

 Photo 1:
Manufactured system Stormtech Isolator in the foreground. Retention pond in the background.

Photo 2:
Dr. Ballestero from UNHSC standing in the Retention Pond

Photo 3: 

The Subsurface Gravel Wetland, slightly overgrown with vegetation.  The diagram below shows how the Subsurface Gravel Wetland works.

Source: University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, 2009 Biannual Report

This method is one of the most effective ways of removing dissolved inorganic nitrogen and total phosphorous, as well as controlling peak flow.

Results from all of  UNHSC's stormwater BMP testing are available at the UNHSC website under publications.  

Nova Scotia's record rainfall

 Heavy rainfall events caused severe flood damage in Truro (Photo: Paul Palmeter, CBC, Sept  23, 2012)

From CBC News - October, 2, 2012:

September 2012 was the wettest September on record in Nova Scotia, with 386.8 millimetres of rain, according to Environment Canada.

The figures, released Monday morning, show rainfall amounts at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport smashed the previous September record — 308.7 millimetres, set in 1996.

This September's rainfall amounts are also very close to the all-time wettest month on record in the province — August 1971, when 387.1 millimetres of rain was recorded.

The last weekend of September proved to be a wet one for many Nova Scotians:

• Greenwood — 23.6 millimetres.
• Halifax Stanfield International Airport — 42.4 millimetres.
• Ingonish — 20 millimetres.
• Kentville — 27.6 millimetres.
• Malay Falls — 109 millimetres.
• Port Hawkesbury — 66.2 millimetres.
• Sydney — 18 millimetres.
• Upper Stewiacke — 45.2 millimetres.
• Yarmouth — 59.2 millimetres.

Earlier in September, heavy rains caused two rivers to overflow in the Truro area, forcing the evacuation of dozens of homes.

The area was pummelled with more than 75 millimetres of rain in one day, which caused more than $2 million worth of damage

Slow it, spread it, sink it

We wanted to share this great video by the US Environmental Protection Agency that shows a number of ways to reduce stormwater runoff including rain gardens, rain barrels and green roofs. Many of these best practices can be used at your home. The goal of these tools is to 'slow, spread and sink' the stormwater to keep it from polluting downstream waters.