New Stormwater Management Centres Coming to Mississauga

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Published July 31, 2017 at 11:20 pm

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During the past few years, the City of Mississauga has been implementing various initiatives in order to deal with the various amounts of flooding that have occurred, most notably the massive flood in 2013. The most contentious policy has been the implementation of a stormwater charge, but there are other methods that the city has been employing to mitigate flooding damage now that we are seeing more massive storms than in past decades.

One way of doing so is through the use of retention basins. They are more commonly known locally as stormwater management ponds, because if there is more natural bodies of water in an urban environment, they would be more suitable to absorbing rain back into the ground rather than have the water flow into the sanitation system, thereby creating the flooding conditions that have been plaguing homeowners.

This is a current list of stormwater management projects happening across Mississauga, but here are some highlights of each one of them:

New Stormwater Management Facility – Matheson Boulevard West

  • Estimated costs (planning, design, construction) $25.6 million.

  • Benefits are to provide flood protection for homes and nearby properties and improve water quality conditions in the Cooksville Creek.

  • Improving aquatic habitat conditions.

  • This project was funded through municipal property taxes, development charges, the Stormwater Charge and contributions from developers.

Cooksville Storm Trunk Sewer Replacement – Hurontario Street to Cooksville Creek

  • Estimated costs (planning, design, construction) $15 million.

  • This project predated the Stormwater Charge, therefore was funded by municipal property taxes.

  • Purpose is to improve operating efficiency of the storm sewer collection system, including pipe performance characteristics.

  • Restore the locations of existing infrastructure which had been compromised by lost sewer bedding and backfill.

  • Eliminate the risks of roadway collapse in these areas.

Stormwater Retrofit Road Re-surfacing – Lakeview Neighbourhood Improvement

  • Estimated costs (planning, design, construction) $892,500.

  • This project was funded through municipal property taxes, taking staff time, external labour, material and equipment costs into consideration.

  • Purpose is to slow runoff rates and improve quality of stormwater entering creeks and Lake Ontario.

  • Enhancing the overall appearance of the streetscape and making ditches easier to maintain.

Credit River Tributary Erosion Control – Credit Valley Golf and Country Club

  • Estimated costs (planning, design, construction) $808,000.

  • The costs were shared between municipal property taxes and the Credit Valley Golf and Country Club.

  • Provides erosion protection and to maintain natural river functions.

  • Enhancing surrounding habitat for terrestrial and fish species.

  • Decrease property losses along the creek banks.

Sawmill Creek Erosion Control – Erin Mills Parkway to the Collegeway

  • Estimated costs (planning, design, construction) $2.5 million.

  • Project pre-dated the Stormwater Charge so it was funded completely with municipal property taxes.

  • The purpose of this project is to provide a channel that is more erosion resistant and maintains a natural creek function.

  • Minimize the potential flooding and erosion impact on the pedestrian walkway.

Little Etobicoke Creek Flood Evaluation Study and Master Plan

  • The City of Mississauga is also undertaking a flooding evaluation study of the Little Etobicoke Creek watershed.

  • Phase 1 will expand upon previous studies of the overland spill from Little Etobicoke Creek during high flow conditions.

  • Phase 2 will identify overland urban flooding risk and identify, assess, and recommend remediation measures for the Little Etobicoke Creek subwatershed.

  • The reasoning behind this project is to recognize and account for the flow entering other subwatersheds as a result of the spill originating near Dixie Road and Dundas Street.

  • Also to identify areas at risk of riverine and urban flooding, and to develop a plan to mitigate risks to people, property and infrastructure. No costs have been placed yet as the Environmental Process still needs to be completed.

Considering this past week, Mississauga and the surrounding area saw a massive rainstorm in the middle of the afternoon accompanied by hail, then suddenly subsiding with sunlight returning by late afternoon, the need for more to absorb stormwater or redirect it into a more manageable way that compliments the surrounding environment is more essential now than ever.

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