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ANOTHER PUBLIC MEETING IN NOVEMBER
Kitchener considering a system to credit those who reduce water run-off
Kitchener considering a system to credit those who reduce water run-off
by Helen Hall
Kitchener Citizen
Kitchener’s new stormwater management fee has got people talking about water run-off.
Nick Gollan is the manager of the City of Kitchener’s newly formed Stormwater Utility, which charges a stormwater management fee to Kitchener residents. The stormwater utility is now looking at the possibility of giving credits or rebates to those who find ways to reduce their water run-off.
“Before the implementation of the stormwater management fee, a lot of people had no idea what stormwater is because they had always paid for it with their taxes,” Gollan said.
“This has brought it into the spotlight.”
Kitchener Citizen
Kitchener’s new stormwater management fee has got people talking about water run-off.
Nick Gollan is the manager of the City of Kitchener’s newly formed Stormwater Utility, which charges a stormwater management fee to Kitchener residents. The stormwater utility is now looking at the possibility of giving credits or rebates to those who find ways to reduce their water run-off.
“Before the implementation of the stormwater management fee, a lot of people had no idea what stormwater is because they had always paid for it with their taxes,” Gollan said.
“This has brought it into the spotlight.”
Stormwater is water that comes from precipitation - either rain or snow. Stormwater that does not soak into the ground becomes surface run-off, and is channeled into storm sewers, or drains or waterways and holding ponds operated by the city. Like other services offered by the city, the stormwater system needs constant upgrades and management.
This month, the city is expected to begin work on Victoria Park Lake, which is a stormwater holding pond that is contaminated from years of sediment build-up.
Consultants have recommended a plan to fix the bacteria-ridden lake, that includes dredging the sediment from the bottom of the lake, deepening the lake for better circulation and creating a sediment “reservoir” to slow down the water entering the lake and trap the sediment. The plan also includes improvements to the waterways that lead to the lake from Kitchener suburbs.
This work will be paid for through the stormwater management fee that is collected from property owners.
About 50 people attended a public meeting held at the Downtown Community Centre September 29th to discuss a rebate or credit program. Ratepayers were given comment sheets to offer their ideas.
“I was impressed with some of the things people are already doing to capture rainwater,” Gollan said. “This is encouraging because they are already doing this without any kind of (monetary) incentive.”
Several options were discussed at the public meeting, including:
• A credit or rebate system for commercial and multi-residential property owners who find ways to reduce run-off. Because these buildings typically have large roofs and parking lots, they create a lot of stormwater. Some management practices might be to engineer a pond on the property to hold and drain water, and to give grit and soil the opportunity to settle out of the water before it drains back into the water table.
• A credit or rebate system for residential owners. This could be for adding a cistern or infiltration gallery, which is an underground storage pit where water is drained from rooftops and then eventually re-absorbed into the ground.
• Credits or rebates for commercial, multi-residential and residential customers.
• And the option of not offering any credits or rebates at all.
Gollan said the city is still receiving comment sheets, and plans to hold another public meeting in late November.
Once all the information has been collected, staff will make a recommendation to council based on the public input, and their evaluation of the time and resources required to implement the credit/rebate system.
Gollan expects the recommend-ation will be made to council by the end of the year. Any new system will take about six months to implement.
Kitchener’s new stormwater management fee program won the P.J. Marshall Plaque Award at the 2011 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in London in August.
The Plaque Award recognizes projects that exemplify all of the P.J. Marshall Award’s criteria: innovation, tangible benefits, improved efficiency, innovative financing, and transferability.
This month, the city is expected to begin work on Victoria Park Lake, which is a stormwater holding pond that is contaminated from years of sediment build-up.
Consultants have recommended a plan to fix the bacteria-ridden lake, that includes dredging the sediment from the bottom of the lake, deepening the lake for better circulation and creating a sediment “reservoir” to slow down the water entering the lake and trap the sediment. The plan also includes improvements to the waterways that lead to the lake from Kitchener suburbs.
This work will be paid for through the stormwater management fee that is collected from property owners.
About 50 people attended a public meeting held at the Downtown Community Centre September 29th to discuss a rebate or credit program. Ratepayers were given comment sheets to offer their ideas.
“I was impressed with some of the things people are already doing to capture rainwater,” Gollan said. “This is encouraging because they are already doing this without any kind of (monetary) incentive.”
Several options were discussed at the public meeting, including:
• A credit or rebate system for commercial and multi-residential property owners who find ways to reduce run-off. Because these buildings typically have large roofs and parking lots, they create a lot of stormwater. Some management practices might be to engineer a pond on the property to hold and drain water, and to give grit and soil the opportunity to settle out of the water before it drains back into the water table.
• A credit or rebate system for residential owners. This could be for adding a cistern or infiltration gallery, which is an underground storage pit where water is drained from rooftops and then eventually re-absorbed into the ground.
• Credits or rebates for commercial, multi-residential and residential customers.
• And the option of not offering any credits or rebates at all.
Gollan said the city is still receiving comment sheets, and plans to hold another public meeting in late November.
Once all the information has been collected, staff will make a recommendation to council based on the public input, and their evaluation of the time and resources required to implement the credit/rebate system.
Gollan expects the recommend-ation will be made to council by the end of the year. Any new system will take about six months to implement.
Kitchener’s new stormwater management fee program won the P.J. Marshall Plaque Award at the 2011 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in London in August.
The Plaque Award recognizes projects that exemplify all of the P.J. Marshall Award’s criteria: innovation, tangible benefits, improved efficiency, innovative financing, and transferability.
A Great Blue Heron on one of the islands at Victoria Park.