An innovative approach to municipal storm water management

By Lilian Schaer

A combination of community engagement and a willingness to take a chance on an innovative approach has led to a creative and environmentally friendly stormwater management solution in one Ontario municipality. It not only reduces stormwater flows but also saves money and increases the chance that trees planted on site will grow and thrive. 

Thanks to a partnership with a local horticultural innovation centre, the new absorbent landscape at Ashby Drive Park, a two-and-a-half-acre area of parkland in Beamsville, Ontario (part of the Town of Lincoln located in the Niagara Region) has become a real success story for other municipalities to emulate.

“This was an existing park with a lot of open space that could still be developed. Before the pandemic, we conducted an exercise in community engagement to understand what local residents wanted to see in the space,” explains Shannon McKay, Director of Community Services with Town of Lincoln. “Three quarters of the park was open green space and we heard from residents that they wanted more trees, shade and additional amenities.” 

The Ashby Drive Park enhancement project included resurfacing and upgrading the existing basketball court, installing shade sail seating areas and fitness equipment, expanding the play area, converting to a rubber play surface and adding a ‘learn to ride’ bicycle playground complete with bicycle repair station. 

However, how to best approach stormwater management while considering all the enhancements to the park was a challenge for the town. It had to develop a plan for handling stormwater, particularly following heavy precipitation events, where large amounts of water fall quickly in a short amount of time. As well, the water needed to be captured and stored for later use during dry periods. 

A solution evolved from a discussion about low impact development with research scientists at the nearby Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland): creating an absorbent landscape that would not only fit the vision for the park but could also serve as a living demonstration site of science and research in action. 

“With the guidance and support of the team at Vineland, we pursued the absorbent landscape project,” McKay notes. “It was a fantastic collaboration that let us avoid the traditional stormwater management processes and do something pretty unique and innovative.” 

According to Rhoda deJonge, Director of Plant Responses and the Environment at Vineland, municipalities are increasingly turning to horticulture for green infrastructure solutions to some of their biggest problems, such as using large greenspaces to capture and use stormwater instead of letting it run off downstream.