Professional Development Training

Abstract

Green Streets enhance the City’s right-of-way through the implementation of Green Infrastructure (GI), such as permeable pavers, storm water tree pits, and bioretention facilities. Maintenance and operations of GI assets is critical to enable their long term function. This presentation will provide an overview of strategies underway to build capacity in GI operation and maintenance in the City of Toronto, including a pilot to leverage current and future GI and horticulture projects to create opportunities for job creation and workforce development.

Space is limited. For additional information, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca.

This webinar is part of the STEP Water 2021 Webinar Series.

Register for Free

Abstract

Tree pit systems integrate common street trees with stormwater management as a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional “end of pipe” practices in achieving volume control and nutrient reduction, as well as providing uncompacted soil for healthy and vigorous tree growth, while maintaining pavement support. Municipal and regulatory authorities encourage low impact development (LID) techniques to replicate pre-development conditions and mitigate the negative impact of land development and surface paving.

Tree pit systems are well suited for residential, and commercial construction; parking lots; sidewalks and streetscapes; plazas, and; retrofit situations where stormwater conveyance is inefficient or ineffective due to aged or faulty infrastructure. Tree pit systems typically combine a precast concrete frame with an engineered soil (media) designed to collect, infiltrate and “treat”stormwater through physical, biological and chemical processes. Since trees have the ability to utilize soluble fractions of nutrients in stormwater runoff such as phosphorous, nitrogen, and metals, as well as provide supplemental irrigation for the trees during periods of drought, stormwater could be considered a resource versus a waste product.

Careful and deliberate consideration in formulating and engineering the media that comprises the tree root space must take into account the geology of existing native soils, water table, utilities, building foundations, etc. The media must be designed to bear the mechanical compaction necessary to support the weight of overlying paved surfaces as to prevent settling or subsidence without altering water holding capacity and oxygen exchange. This same media must provide other necessary properties for both trees and roots to acclimate, survive, and sustain vigorous growth.

Space is limited. For additional information, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca.

This webinar is part of the STEP Water 2021 Webinar Series.

Register for Free

Urbanization, in general, increases impervious cover in a watershed. When impervious cover is increased, precipitation does not infiltrate as it would naturally. Instead, rainfall is quickly piped and channeled directly to the watercourse. Increase in surface runoff from the urbanized areas can result in erosive damage to our streams and structures such as public and private property. Erosion control is part of the overall storm water management criteria to protect natural channels from adverse effects of increased erosion due to urbanization. If a site drains to a sensitive creek, or if a subwatershed study, MESP or similarly comprehensive study including is required, then the proponent must complete a geomorphologic assessment study to determine the appropriate erosion threshold. After that continuous hydrologic modeling will be undertaken for the development site to determine the volume requirement that mitigates the erosion impacts. TRCA provide the guidance for the required processes from desktop analysis to final report.

In this course, we will walk through the requirements and the methods and procedures for conducting erosion assessment described in TRCA stormwater management criteria document. There will be a hand-on continuous hydrologic modelling exercise that demonstrates how the requirements will be addressed in the modelling work. The hand-on exercise is provided with VO6 covering model creation for pre- and post-development conditions and scenario comparison.

Learning Objectives

• Learn about the requirements or criteria for erosion control in TRCA’s jurisdiction
• Understand the required methods and procedures for detailed instream erosion assessment
• Use VO6 to complete the required hydrological model demonstrating the effectiveness of control measures

Instructors

• Dr. Dilnesaw Chekol, TRCA
• Dr. Lisha Guo, Civica Infrastructure Inc.

Additional Information

• The VO6 license and exercise data package will be provided before the session.
• If you have any additional questions, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca
• TRCA HST Registration number is 10808 8584 RT001

Register

Abstract

The Ontario government’s Flood Strategy includes recommendations to further enhance natural hazard policies in the 2020 Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) and to update existing technical guidelines. As flooding and erosion hazards are inextricably linked, this is an important opportunity to update the associated technical guidelines for erosion hazard assessment after over two decades of service. The 2002 flooding and erosion hazard guidelines were prepared by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNRF) to assist the public and planning authorities, such as municipalities and conservation authorities, with an explanation of the Natural Hazards Policies (3.1) of the PPS of the Planning Act starting in 1996. They were also referenced under the Adaptive Management of Stream Corridors in Ontario publication and in the PPS updates in 2005 and 2014. The Geomorphology Subcommittee for Professional Geoscientists Ontario has reviewed the erosion hazard guidelines and has submitted letters to MNRF recommending updates to address specific technical issues; general scientific and technological advancement; and guiding principles for policy application. An essential topic to be emphasized is climate change risk. This presentation will communicate these recommendations more broadly to industry as MNRF begins the guideline update process in 2021. Some of the gaps in the existing guidelines will also be highlighted based on recent initiatives by Credit Valley Conservation to provided guidance on vertical scour analysis and instream erosion thresholds for stream and river channels.

Space is limited. For additional information, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca.

This webinar is part of the STEP Water 2021 Webinar Series.

Register for Free

Abstract

Integrating nature based solutions into urban infrastructure has become an important policy objective to mitigate climate change impacts and make a more resilient urban landscape. However urban waterfront sites present several challenges which require creative solutions and revised standards. Drawing from examples of streetscape designs and an implemented pilot project on Toronto’s waterfront, the presentation will explore the many challenges of integrating green infrastructure and Low Impact Development (LID) principles into highly constrained and regulated urban environments.

Space is limited. For additional information, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca.

This webinar is part of the STEP Water 2021 Webinar Series.

Register for Free

Abstract

Over the past few years, Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) has installed five successful rain gardens at schools within the Credit River watershed and has received numerous requests from schools, teachers, and parents for additional rain gardens. Instead of approaching each school request as its own project, CVC decided to capitalize on cost savings by aggregating rain garden projects together to build economies of scale, maximize process efficiencies, and expedite the implementation of climate change adaptation practices to improve resiliency against increased stormwater runoff, aging infrastructure and improve water quality to the Credit River and Lake Ontario. These projects are also a great learning tool for teachers and students as an outdoor classroom, allowing for experiential learning without leaving the school property which is now very important with Covid-19. Credit Valley Conservation was a successful recipient of the most recent EcoAction Community Funding Program, receiving almost $100,000 to protect, rehabilitate, enhance and sustain the natural environment while getting the community involved. Six fusion rain garden projects will be implemented in the Region of Peel by CVC over a three year period, combining some of the partnership building, administration work, design work, and implementation to reduce the time and costs that are traditionally spent on single projects.

At this point in the project we are less than half-way, but we have initiated and built a new program for rain garden implementation and there have been a few lessons learned. This webinar will highlight the process so far and the lessons learned along the way and provide suggestions for those looking to install rain gardens on their property.

Space is limited. For additional information, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca.

This webinar is part of the STEP Water 2021 Webinar Series.

Register for Free

Abstract

The LID Stormwater Management Planning and Design Guide Wiki was launched in March 2019 as a joint initiative of Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Credit Valley Conservation and Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. Developed in consultation with representatives from federal and provincial ministries, municipalities and industry stakeholders, the online guide is the first of its kind in Canada, and provides a new digital resource for sustainable stormwater planning and design that is well-suited to an era of innovation and rapid evolution. This webinar will provide an overview of the Guide and highlight recent and forthcoming enhancements, including (i) the addition of information from existing LID Guides on construction and inspection and maintenance (ii) integration of planning and design tools like the LID Treatment Train and Life Cycle Costing Tools and BMP checklists, and (iii) BMP performance data gathered from local and international sources.

Space is limited. For additional information, please contact us at STEP@trca.ca.

This webinar is part of the STEP Water 2021 Webinar Series.

Register for Free