The Greenway would bring huge Community Benefits to northwest Toronto! But, have these raingardens been used before in the Greater Toronto Area?
Yes! The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Credit Valley Conservation Authority have been leaders in testing and promoting the use of plants and tress to handle stormwater in Ontario.
Several low impact development – the industry term for using plants to prevent flooding – projects have been implemented in Toronto’s downtown core and along the waterfront. Their continued vitality has proven using plants and trees to be a sound investment. More flood risk mitigation projects using plants and engineered surfaces, such as Brampton’s Riverwalk, are now being installed in the downtown core of urban centers across Ontario.
Credit Valley Conservation’s Elm Drive pilot proved raingardens effectiveness in a suburban setting, noting that, “(The project is) exceeding all design expectations and providing significant benefits.” (Click on the report to read more about the Elm Pilot.)
- Rainfall from 19 out of 20 storms every year (under 25 mm) never reached the sewers;
- 99% of total suspended solids were removed as the water flowed through the raingarden;
- Flow of water seriously reduced during a severe storm event, ensuring the sewers were not overwhelmed.
While the Our Greenway plan would see an extensive raingarden network being installed in a suburban setting for the first time, the concept has been thoroughly proven to work in our context.
